


Heavy Metal

by Kurayamin



Category: Trolls (2016), Trolls World Tour, Trolls: The Beat Goes On (Cartoon)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Timelines, Depression, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Fluff, Forced Bonding, Forced Pregnancy, Forced Relationship, Friendship/Love, Graphic Description, Humor, I swear I really do love Queen Barb, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rape/Non-con Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:41:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 14
Words: 195,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23863957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kurayamin/pseuds/Kurayamin
Summary: In this alternate timeline, Branch realizes that if he can just find the Queen of Hard Rock before she can take their String, he might be able to end this before anyone he loves gets hurt. Too bad Queen Barb isn't someone he loves.Journey with Barb and Poppy as they try to navigate a world that's suddenly turned into a dark and sinister version of the one they thought they knew in a quest to find love, redemption, and above all, a reason to be happy. With friends suddenly turning to enemies and nightmares around every turn, they're going to need all the help they can get.PLEASE read and heed the tags and warnings.
Relationships: Branch/Poppy (Trolls), Branch/Queen Barb (Trolls), Queen Barb/Riff (Trolls), Sid Fret/Queen Poppy
Comments: 113
Kudos: 74





	1. Figured You Out

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I'm trying out a new user name that I haven't found anywhere else.
> 
> This story was written for +18 adults and is not for minors to read. 
> 
> WARNINGS: Rape, Violence, Threats of death, Trauma
> 
> Please be aware that this story contains rape. While the first chapter is told from Branch's point of view, I do not condone rape of any kind for any reason. Any rationalizations that the characters make about rape are not a reflection of my own thoughts. Rape in real life is horrible, wrong, and destroys lives. Nothing anyone can say will ever make rape okay.
> 
> Please read this work of fiction like it is intended. AS FICTION. If depictions of fictional characters enjoying rape offends you, then please skip this story and find something else to read.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch has decided that the best way to save Poppy and the String is to take Barb head on. Once he has the Rock Queen in his power, how far it too far when comes to punishing the Rock Troll?

I like your pants around your feet  
And I like the dirt that's on your knees  
And I like the way you say please  
While you're looking up at me  
You're like my favorite damn disease  
~ Figured You Out (Nickleback)

OOO

“You're no good for me, I'm no good for you  
And I hate that you're perfect, you're perfect for me  
I hate that you're perfect, you're perfect for me”

Branch sighed sadly as the last heartbreaking notes faded away, his best friend's words still ringing in his ears.

“I don't even know why we're friends.”

She wasn't wrong. While the other Pop trolls would sing, and dance, and hug without a care in the world, he was always eagerly waiting to drag them back down to earth to wallow in his anxieties and fear. He was like a poison to everyone around him, but most especially to the one troll he cared about the most. It didn't matter if what he told Poppy was the truth. Forcing the Pop Queen out of her idealistic candy-coated reality would kill her, if not her body, than surly her spirit, and Branch would rather die than see her go gray again.

The teal troll angrily kicked away a twig in his path as he walked further downstream. It just wasn't fair! He had finally found someone who made his life worth living after so many years of living alone and they were too different to even be friends, much less anything else. It's like he was on the losing end of a practical joke that started the day he was born.

Loud laughter from overhead startled the Pop troll from his inner turmoil. Crouching low to the ground, Branch looked up just in time to see several strangely dark trolls whiz by on spiked dangerous looking beetles. It took only moments for him to realize that they had to be Hard Rock trolls and that there could only be one reason why they would be flying so far from where the Funk city ship had gone down. They were searching for them.

He silently cursed himself for his lack of forethought as he crept backwards, keeping low to the ground, until he slipped into the shadows of the thick plants that bordering the river. Of course Queen Barb would be looking for them. Queen Essence and King Quincy may have been able to hide the fact that the Queen of Pop had been aboard their flying ship mere moments before the attack, but many of the other funk trolls had seen them as well. He was sure that Queen Barb had ways of making trolls give up any information that would be valuable to her. He could think of several ways right now, and he wasn't even trying.

Branch stealthily started to turn back to where he had left Poppy, when a plan suddenly blossomed in his head. All he had to do was find this “Queen of Hard Rock” and make her end all of this madness. It would probably take a little bit of kidnapping and maybe more than a little bit of violence, but if there was a troll alive who could pull it off, it had to be him. He would do anything to keep Poppy and her innocent view of the world safe. Anything.

OOOO

Branch sighed in frustration as crunching grass alerted him to yet another search party. He melted silently back into the grass, his dark coloring blending in perfectly with the shadows and watched as the twelfth search party he had avoided today walk past. He narrowed his eyes at the colorful group who spoke to each other in a language he couldn't understand. These trolls clearly weren't Hard Rock trolls, and if they were now recruiting other clans in their search for Poppy and their String, than he had less time then he thought.

Thanks to Barb's talkative minions, he knew for sure that the Hard Rock Queen was out there somewhere, searching for Poppy herself. Branch wasn't sure why she'd put herself at such risk, but he really hoped it was because Barb was a reckless thrill-seeker and not because she was a brilliant tactician who was luring them into an elaborate trap. The first would work in his favor, the second, not so much. 

Regardless, of why Barb was out there, the fact that the Hard Rock trolls were still searching was the one thing he had going for him. It meant that they still hadn't found Poppy. But on the other hand, he hadn't found the Hard Rock Queen either. It was a race against time and with Poppy's brilliant pink skin and hair, she was at a severe disadvantage. Her luck wouldn't hold out forever.

Keeping to the shadows, Branch elongated his hair and pulled himself up into the branches of a towering shrub for a better view of his surroundings. Slipping his binoculars from his dark violet locks, he carefully scanned the skyline. He wasn't sure what Barb looked like, but he was fairly confident that he would know her when he saw her. From his observation, royalty tended to give off a certain vibe, a sense of responsibility and a kind of superiority, that gave them away. This was yet another topic that Poppy harshly disagreed with him on, but after spending time with the Queen and King of Funk, he knew his conclusions weren't wrong.

Seeing nothing, Branch stealthily swung from plant to plant, fanning out in his favorite search pattern. He carefully observed the search parties that flowed around him, easily dismissing any of them as the elusive Queen. After about twenty minutes, he finally reached the edge of Barb's search radius. The Pop troll growled in frustration. 

“How could I have missed the bitch? My calculations were impeccable!”, he hissed to himself 

Regardless how it had happened, there was no helping it. He'd just have to turn around and start again. With a cures, Branch went to ready his hair for the next swing when he noticed a group of figures flying far in the distance. He quickly pulled his binoculars back out from his hair and trained his eyes on the group, hoping he'd finally found his quarry. 

He easily dismissed the two males on the smaller spiked beetles as unimportant. Dull eyes and slack faces told branch all he needed to know. Stupid flunkies that would be easy to take out. But the female troll riding the impressively large beetle in the middle of the pack was another story.

Branch felt his heart clench in his chest as he watched the dusky purple troll headbanging to the music that she was playing on her guitar. Her beautiful bright red hair which been shaved into a mohawk flew through the air as she danced and sang. He found himself aching to hear the music that was bringing this beautiful troll so much joy. 

She was dressed in black leather shorts and a t-shirt that look like it needed replacing a long time ago. She wore two silver earrings in her right ear and one earring in her left ear which looked like it had been torn in half. A dark leather belt with a silver skull buckle and leather studded bracelets completed the look.

This had to be Queen Barb. There wasn't any other possibility in Branch's mind. She was just so animated, so vivid, so alive! This wasn't what the teal troll had been expecting, not by a long shot. Branch went to lower his binoculars when suddenly it seemed like the female troll was looking right at him. Time seemed to stop as those impossibly large pink expressive eyes met his. It felt like had she peered into his soul for just an instant before she looked away, jamming to music as exotic as she was.

It took a few seconds before Branch could breathe again. It took a few more before he realized he had a very hard, very painful erection. The tip of his cock had poked out of the top of his shorts and was spurting large amounts of precum down his leg. Branch groaned and thunked his head against the trunk of the plant. He so didn't have time for this, especially with the object of his lust being his mortal enemy who wanted to destroy all that he held dear. His dick didn't seem to agree with him as it jerked, sending another gush of clear fluid down his already soaked clothing.

“Okay then”, he thought to himself. “I'm just going to do this the hard way.” 

He closed his eyes and thought the most dick shriveling thoughts he could. The time he caught Smidge and former King Peppy screwing like Puffalos down by the waterfall. The scrapbook he found when he was helping Biggie clean his pod that showed with horrifying detail just what he and Mr. Dinkles did when they were alone. And finally, Creek. He signed in relief as his member finally went flaccid. 

“That's enough of that”, he said aloud as he carefully tucked himself back into place. He took another look through his binoculars at the trio, only to find that the two flunkies had been sent away, presumably to look elsewhere. Queen Barb herself was now flying directly toward him. He watched her mouth move, obviously still singing, as she looked toward the ground, eyes searching. She would be there in just a few seconds.

Careful to not make any quick movements that might attract her attention, the Pop troll backed up against the trunk of the tree. He slowly breathed in and out, and then using his hair, propelled himself out of the concealing foliage. Queen Barb had only an instant to look up in shock before Branch had landed on her. Her spiked beetle flew out of control at the sudden impact and hit the ground hard, sending the two trolls flying.

Anticipating the landing, Branch used his hair to snag a twig causing him to land lightly in a crouch. Queen Barb however landed hard on her stomach and bounced twice before collapsing into a jumbled heap. Branch watched warily as she lay there unmoving for several seconds before coughing hard and pushing herself up from the ground.

“What the hell man?!” snarled the female troll as she carefully got to her feet, brushing the dirt from her torn and filthy clothing. She snapped her head up and glared at the Pop troll, her entire body tense with anger. Branch once again found himself lost in those large expressive eyes, which currently looked ready to straight up kill him.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?!”

It took several seconds before Branch could remember his plan. He gave himself a mental swat as he went over the his lines in his head. This wasn't the time to get distracted.

“I'm Branch.”, the teal troll said with a smirk. “And you must be Barb.”

“Branch”, Barb repeated back flatly giving a him a 'you've got to be kidding me' look. “What kind of stupid name is that dude?” 

Branch just leaned against the tree, his body language screaming disrespect. He knew from experience that making your foe lose their cool was the way to a nice easy victory and it was becoming obvious that Barb was a live wire even at the best of times. This would be too easy. At least it would be if his dick would stop twitching with every word she said.

Barb rolled her eyes and smiled, crossing her arms. “And yeah, I'm Barb. That's Queen Barb to you...Pop troll? Are you a Pop troll? I can't really tell.”

Once again, Branch just gave her a smirk. The female troll's smile melted away as she narrowed her eyes in fury at Branches continued silence. She then angrily gestured toward the sky, her voice shaking with barely contained rage.

“And what was that all about asswipe? You could have killed us both! What the fuck are you on? Because man, you really need to find a new dealer.”

In response, Branch's smile deepened as he straightened and casually pulled a pair of brass knuckles from his hair. “I'm here to stop you from hurting Poppy and taking our String”, he said calmly while slipping his fingers into the weapon.

The shock on Barb's beautiful face was a sight to behold as she looked at Branch, the weapon, and then back to the teal troll. It lasted only a few seconds before being replaced with condescending superiority. 

“Woah!”, the female troll laughed. “I didn't think you Pop trolls had it in you, but then, here you are! Should I be scared? Would it help if I pretended to be?” Barb mimed cowering away before giving him a dismissive gesture. “Come on dude, what is that thing even made of? Candy?”.

“Why don't you come over here and find out?”, Branch said coolly as he started to circle closer to the Hard Rock troll. “If I take you out, then the rest of us can be safe from your tyranny and then Poppy and I can go home.”

Barb gave him an annoyed calculating look before she opened her eyes wide in surprise.

“Ohhh! I get it now! You must be Poppy's boy-toy!. I should have know that the sugary sweet Pop Queen would send out one of her lovers to stop me instead of facing me herself.”

Barb doubled over, laughing hard. “What a pathetic loser! Even Trollzart stood up to me face to face, and Classical Music trolls are basically fluffy babies!”

Branch felt his amusement melt away like frost on a hot summer day to be replaced with a white hot fury the likes of which he'd never known.

“You take that back”, he hissed in a low deadly voice. “You can say whatever you like about me, but you leave Poppy out of this”.

Barb started in surprise, all laughter gone. She had obviously not expected that kind of anger from the Pop troll. “Hey, hey, easy tiger.”, she crooned as she held out her hands in a soothing gesture. “No need to get that upset. I get it. We want to protect those we love. You may not believe me, but that's why I'm doing my World Tour. To protect those I love”.

Branch narrowed his eyes in disbelief as he watched the Queen of Hard Rock started looking around the clearing, clearly searching for something. “If you're going to lie, you're going to have to do better than that”, the teal troll growled as he tried to figure out what she was up to. “You've been stealing Strings and destroying trolls' homelands. There's no love in that”. 

Barb paused in her search for a second to give him a sincere look of deep hurt. “Hey”,she barked out as she continued to look. “I don't lie. I've never lied. It's part of my personal code. Look man, our Strings divide us, they drive us apart, and when we're divided, trolls begin to hate other trolls. And then... and then trolls get hurt”

Branch felt numb as Barb's voice quavered and tears appeared in her eyes as her hand went up to her one ear that looked to have had half of it ripped from her head. She was quiet for a moments as she touched the ragged flesh before she snapped her head up and looked at him, eyes blazing with fury. “And then trolls die!”, she snarled as she angrily wiping the moisture away. 

Branch was stunned as much by the purple troll's display of vulnerability as he was by her words. He had never considered that the other tribes of trolls may have interacted with each before Barb's crazy “World Tour”, much less violently. He'd just assumed that they had stayed isolated and mostly unaware of each other's existence. But from what Barb was saying, the Pop trolls may have just been lucky.. 

He had just decided to ask the Queen for more information when Barb gave him a wicked smile before running swiftly toward the nearby long grass. Cursing, Branch followed and had just enough time to grab her wrist with his hair before her hand closed around the neck of her guitar 

“Damn it, let me go you freak!”, the female troll howled in fury. “Can't you see I'm trying to unite the trolls under one music! We'd just like a family again!”

“I don't want to be a part of your family!”, snarled Branch as he slung Barb away from her guitar. He remembered Pennywhistle's story of how the musical instrument/weapon had destroyed all of Symphonyville, and he wasn't eager to be on the receiving end of such an assault.

Ignoring the Hard Rock troll's squeal of anger, he ran up to the instrument and with a few quick punches with his brass knuckles, splintered it into pieces.“Not if it means giving up what's important to me and my friends”, he finished triumphantly as he stood up and gave her a smirk, brushing bits of wood from his hair.

Barb stood frozen in horror, staring at the destroyed guitar before she shrieked wildly and tackled the surprised Pop troll to the ground.

“You jerk! You trashed my guitar! Do you even know what you've done?! My mom gave me that!”, Barb snarled as she punched Branch in the face and pulled his dark violet hair.

Branch howled in pain as he tore at the other's troll's clothing. desperately trying to get a grip on the ferocious woman's writhing body. She slipped out of his grasp with ease as she punched him again and again before leaning and viciously biting his ear. Finding no other alternative, he finally punched Barb in the side of her head, just hard enough to stun her. He then flipped them over so he was straddling her thighs and used his heavier weight to try and pin her to the ground. He hated to hit a woman, but this was getting out of hand.

Barb snarled at him in fury and writhed hard against Branch's crotch sending electric signals straight from his cock to his brain. Branch groaned, feeling his erection coming back with a vengeance as he grabbed her right hand as she threw another punch at his face. He then went to grab her shirt with his free hand, but instead of fabric, he grabbed one of her breasts instead. 

He looked down in surprise, to see that Barb's already damaged shirt hadn't survived the fight. Two beautiful small troll breasts were on full display, their dark purple nipples plump and hard. Time seemed to freeze as Branch squeezed the small mound of flesh and and gently rubbed the small pert nub. This was the first real boob he had ever seen close up, much less felt and it completed the erection that the grinding had started.

Barb froze in shock as she felt Branch fondle her breast and thrust his dick hard into her clothed pussy.  
“Get off”, she ordered in a low shaky voice as she pushed against his chest hard with her free hand.

Ignoring her, Branch leaned forward and breathed deeply, letting her scent wash over him. Everything about the female troll; her deep rich voice, her intoxicating scent, the feel of her against him, was driving him insane. He squeezed her breast again, roughly this time, and thrust against her hard. 

“I don't think you're in any position to give me orders your Majesty”, he mocked, his head still whirling.

The Queen of Hard Rock looked at him in horror and then went berserk. “GET OFF! GET OFF! GET OFF!”, she wailed, frantically fighting to get away, all form and strategy forgotten in her terror.

Branch clung to the purple troll, holding her down as she thrashed like a wild thing. “Hush. Hush now. Shhhh.”, Branch tried to say soothingly, but it came out more as a moan as Barb's continued thrashing kept sending waves of pure ecstasy through the male troll's body. 

The only thought the Pop troll could manage was that this was the most amazing he'd ever felt and he wasn't about to let the purple troll get away from him now. His words did little to calm Barb as the female troll began to hyperventilate and started to claw at his eyes. 

“I SAID HUSH!”, screamed Branch as he finally lost his temper. He slammed his fist hard into the side of the Queen's head, the brass knuckles making a sickening sound as it connected with her skull. The teal troll stared at Barb in horror as her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she went limp in his arms. He wrenched the weapon off of his hand and threw it far into dense foliage surrounding the clearing. 

Branch climbed off of Barb's still body and carefully ran his fingers along her face where he'd hit her. The skin had split, blood oozing down the side of her head, but the skull itself seemed intact. A quick inspection of her eyes showed that although she was clearly unconscious, her pupils dilated as they should have. The teal troll let out a sigh of relief. The Queen would be fine, but would have one hell of a headache when she woke up.

Branch was unsure of what he should do. He looked back down at the beautiful troll as he ran through the pros and cons in his head. On one hand, he had severely injured a women who was now lying defenseless on the ground. On the other hand, she was his enemy and she wanted to destroy the music that made him a Pop troll. And on the other other hand, he and his painfully throbbing dick really wanted to fuck her. 

He took in sight of her exquisite breasts, remembering how wonderful they had felt in his hand. Branch then let his gaze trail down to the enticing cleft between her legs to see that it had been thoroughly soaked from his precum, causing her pussy to stand out in high relief. His eyes hungrily took in every curve as his decision was made. With a groan, he stripped off his clothes, causing leaves to fly everywhere. Maybe there was a troll out there that was strong enough to ignore what Barb's body was clearly offering, but that troll's name wasn't Branch.

The teal troll quickly went back to the unconscious Barb and finished shredding what was left of her shirt. Next to go was her leather belt with it's heavy buckle, along with her studded wristbands. Branch threw those as far as he could. It was foolish to leave your enemy with a weapon like that. Finally, he carefully pulled off the torn and dirty short, the Hard Rock troll's panties and torn fishnets coming with them making Branch chuckle. It seemed like even her clothing was excited for the event to come.

Finally, he was able to gaze down at the first fully naked female troll he had ever seen. The Hard Rock Queen was even more beautiful than he had originally imagined. More beautiful than even the trolls depicted in his adult scrapbooks that he kept carefully hidden in his bunker. He reverently ran his hands all over Barb's surprisingly soft and supple body, noting every detail. 

Her skin was the most alluring color he had ever seen and was lightly marked with scars. Rather than being a turn off, it just excited him more as he imagined the stories behind them. He spent several minutes wondering what had caused that scar just under her right breast, or the one that slashed across her abdomen, before he had to snap himself out of his reverie.

Barb would recover soon and it would make things so much easier if he were balls deep inside of her when she did. He quickly turned his attention to her nether region and chucked when he saw that she had shaved her pubic hair into the shape of a heart. He gave the bright red hair a loving caress before he roughly pulled Barb's legs open as far as he could in order to get a look at his prize.

As Branch leaned in closer in fascination, he was once again overtaken by the purple troll's musky scent. He took a deep breath and then carefully opened her beautiful vaginal lips. The teal troll marveled at Barb's tiny fuck hole before he inserted a finger, wondering how it would feel when he was fully sheathed inside.

“Warm and wet and everything nice”, he chuckled to himself breathlessly as he began pumping his finger in and out of Barb's body. 

A hard squeeze at the intrusion reminded Branch that he needed to keep moving before Barb regained full consciousness. He climbed on top of the Hard Rock troll and carefully maneuvered his dick until his bulbous head was right against Barb's vagina. With a hard thrust he pushed himself inside and froze, marveling at the heat and the tightness of her walls and he almost lost it when she once again squeezed back.

Branch painfully pounded into the unconscious Barb a few times until he found his rhythm and started to fuck her with hard smooth strokes. Sex was like nothing else he had ever felt before and easily beat all of the hug times put together. Fireworks seemed to explode in his head as he continued to thrust, just enjoying the sensation of fucking the female troll.

That was when Barb decided to wake up.

The Rock Queen opened her pink eyes, confused for just a moment before she realized what was happening to her. Barb gave him a terrified look, but but before she could otherwise react, Branch wrapped his hair tight around her throat. 

“Stay still!”, he snarled desperately as he continued to thrust. “I need this and you can either be a good girl and take it, or I'll make you take it, one way or the other.”

He tightened his noose of hair viciously until the Rock Queen was gasping for breath. Barb looked at him pleadingly as she frantically clawed at his hair, her face turning a dark red. When the Pop troll didn't relent, she opened her mouth, the words coming out as an unintelligible wheeze as her movements became slower and more uncoordinated. Branch paused and loosed his hair just enough so she could speak. 

“Please,” she rasped, “Please don't kill me”

Branch rolled his eyes at the terrified woman. Of course he wasn't going to kill Barb. What kind of troll did she take him for? But if that belief was what it took to make her cooperate, then he'd just have to run with it.

“Look, we're going to fuck”, he told her gruffly, jamming his penis into her pussy painfully. “If you're a good girl and join in, I'll make sure you have a wonderful time. But if you don't, what happens next will be all your fault.”

It was hard for Branch to not feel a little guilty as Barb's face crumpled as she began to sob. He had to remind himself that this was the enemy and she didn't deserve his compassion. She was going to destroy all that he cared about for her crazy crusade and if this is what it took to break the proud women, than that had to make it right. Plus he didn't think he could stop now that he was balls deep into the beautiful Rock Queen.

“Deal”,the female troll whispered brokenly, not meeting his gaze. Not that it mattered much.

Groaning at the pleasure the word sent through his body, Branch started thrusting once again. Keeping his hair securely wrapped around Barb's neck, he slapped the purple troll's leg hard. “Move!” he ordered in a raspy voice.

Jerkily, Barb complied, clumsily thrusting to Branch's rhythm, until finally they were in sync. Branch was happy to admit that he was wrong when the thought that sex had been great before. Having a willing(ish) partner made everything a thousand times better. He clutched the female to his chest as he lost himself in the feel of Barb's slick vaginal walls squeezing his cock, bringing him ever closer to the bliss he craved.

Branch chuckled as Barb let out a deep breathy moan of pleasure, “That's right”, he said soothingly, brushing his hand through her incredibly silky hair. The purple troll turned her face to the side as she blushed bright red in embarrassment.. “Just like that. Don't fight it. I told you that I'd make you feel good if you worked with me.”.

The female troll nodded, still crying silently, which was all the reply Branch needed. He continued to hold her close, their cries of pleasure blending together until the sounds turned into a primal type of music that filled the air. It wasn't rock and it wasn't pop. It was something new and beautiful, even if the event that created it wasn't. The music built until finally both trolls orgasmed together and brought the amazing song to a close. 

Branch could barely breathe as waves of intense pleasure racked his body. He felt like he was falling and floating at the same time. He thrust his throbbing dick as far inside of Barb's cunt as he could as he felt his cum gushing out, quickly filling her canal to overflowing. Barb was squeezing him hard as her own orgasmic cries rang through the clearing. The look of pure ecstasy on her face was the most heart wrenchingly beautiful thing that Branch had ever seen. The two trolls tenderly held each other close, as if they were truly lovers as their pleasure began to slowly fade.

It was then that Branch's knot started to inflate. It was a new feeling to the teal troll. Male trolls only knotted when they had sex with another troll in order to keep her with him. Otherwise they would jump right back up, trying to find the next party and letting the male's valuable semen run out of them before it could complete its job. The Pop troll was so intrigued at the feeling that he almost missed it when Barb suddenly stilled. His eyes widened in realization as he quickly grasped Barb's hips as she tried to buck him off and get away.

“STOP!”, he snarled as he tightened his hair and held on to the females with a bruising grip. Barb just shook her head, terrified beyond reason, as she clawed his back and tried to pry the still forming knot from inside her vaginal canal. Branch took a fistful of her bright red hair and slammed her head hard into the ground. “I SAID STOP!”

If anything, Barb thrashed harder. Branch growled and tightened his hair noose once again until the Rock Queen's movements slowed. The Pop troll sighed in contentment as he felt his knot firmly lock them into place. Now there wasn't any way for Barb to get away without severely damaging them both.

“There we go”, he whispered soothingly to Barb as she quieted again, dull pink eyes showing her defeat. He lovingly brushed her cheek with his hand as he carefully loosed his noose from around the female's badly bruising throat. “See? You're okay. There's no need to fight me”

Barb turned her head away from him, slumping against the ground, the fight completely gone out of her. “There”, she said dully. “You got your way. I hope you're happy”.

“Oh, I'm very happy”, Branch murmured as he he started to kiss her neck. The Rock troll shuddered, but otherwise didn't acknowledge what he was doing. Branch frowned at the lack of response. He had hoped that Barb would play with him while they were tied together. Trying again, he kissed and nibbled on her ragged ear, finding the old injury sexy beyond belief. When the female troll still refused to acknowledge him, Branch forcefully turned her face to look at him.

Barb reluctantly looked at him with tired tear filled eyes. “Looks like female Hard Rock trolls are just as weak as any other female troll”, he taunted as he leaned in to kiss her beautiful pouting lips.  
The Rock Queen's face went from defeated to furious and defiant in an instant as she threw her head up, headbutting Branch in the face, almost breaking his nose. 

“You watch your goddamn mouth, you bastard! You don't know a damned thing about us.”, she seethed at him, pink eyes blazing in fury. “And no fucking kissing! You only kiss people you care about and I'm not going to let you pretend that this means anything to you, Branch!”

“You just don't learn, do you”, Branch growled, as he tightened his hair once more. He watched in amusement as Barb once again clawed ineffectually at the steely strands, desperately trying to breathe before he used his hair to brutally wrench her face closer to his. “This is what you don't seem to get.”, he said cruelly, looking into her frantic eyes. “I've fucked your body, I've probably knocked you up, and I literally hold your life in the hair of my scalp. So if I want to kiss you, then that is what I'm going to do. But you are right about one thing. This doesn't mean anything to me”.

Branch then roughly grabbed her hair and brought her lips to his. He thought he heard Barb whimper, but he really didn't care. Kissing those silky lips sent white hot sparks through his body straight to his groin who was becoming most interested in what he was doing. He kissed her harder, biting her lips, and getting drunk on her unique taste, letting himself get lost in the sensation.

The Rock troll shuddered weakly, reminding Branch that he'd better loosen his grip before she passed out. Barb coughed weakly as he gave her a little slack, trying to suck air into her aching lungs. Branch waited impatiently for a few moments before he started violently kissing her once more. The Pop troll heart raced as the Rock Queen shakily tried to respond in kind. 'She's finally leaning', he thought to himself as he loosened his hair just a bit more.

He started to thrust his aching cock as far in his knot would allow, drowning in the pleasurable fire burning ever hotter in his groin. There wasn't much movement, but it was enough. Barb cried out in agony as his knot slammed repeatedly into her internal ridges that was supposed to keep him in place. Branch rolled his eyes in annoyance and dug his sharp nails into her body as a reminder to keep going. He chuckled as she complied, matching him kiss for kiss and thrust to thrust. 'She really has finally learned to be an obedient bitch.', he thought to himself giddily as he violently bit her lips to stifle her cries of pain. 'About time.'

He rutted into her for several more minutes before coming hard once again inside of the Rock troll. Barb screamed in agony as fresh hot come flooded her wounded canal. Branch chuckled as he pulled her shuddering form flush to his body. “Hush now. Hush. That wasn't so bad.”, he crooned as he stroked her hair and held her as she cried. “That wasn't so bad.”

Finally Barb's crying ceased as she fell into a deep sleep in Branch's arms.

OOO

It was hour before Branch's knot went down enough so he could pull out of Barb. Once he felt it pop out, he carefully untangled himself from the female troll and stood up on wobbly legs. By the holiest of scrapbooks, he was sore! 'But not as sore as my poor little bitch is going to be', he chuckled to himself as he watched the blood laced cum gush out of Barb's torn and abused pussy. 

Branch gazed at the Hard Rock troll almost fondly. He hadn't been entirely truthful when he'd said that their mating hadn't meant anything to him. He felt a surge of possessiveness, of ownership, as he watched Barb sleep. He had taken her, he had bred her, and she should be his. 

Branch sighed as he cleaned himself off with the shreds of Barb's clothing and got dressed. Unfortunately he didn't have time to figure out a way to take her with him. Those bounty hunters would still be looking for Poppy, if they hadn't found her already. It would take a while for the news to spread that he had taken out and broken the Queen of Hard Rock and he didn't want anything to happen to the Pop Queen before it did.

With one last look of regret, he prepared to leave the clearing, but paused as an idea came to him. He had some scrapbooking to do.

OOO

Barb was unprepared for the sheer amount of pain she felt when she woke up. She had been in accidents before, some very serious, she'd even survived an attempt on her life. But nothing could hold a candle to what she was feeling now. The pain was like a living thing as it pulsed and burned inside her entire body. The Hard Rock Queen laid there, mind carefully blank, as she desperately tried not to puke.

Finally when things stopped spinning, Barb decided it was time to sit up, Crying out in agony, the purple troll carefully pushed herself upright and tightly hugged her body, as pain the likes she had never known shot up from her vagina into deep inside of her body. The world went black as she toppled backwards, and the sweet embrace of unconsciousness embraced her once more.

The sky was fully dark when Barb woke once more. “Damn it” she rasped in pain and she lay limply on the ground. Determined to find out how badly she was injured, the Rocker hesitantly felt between her legs which cause renewed agony to shoot through her. She quickly pulled her hand away and grimaced with she saw it was covered in cum and blood. 

“Fucking piece of shit really worked me over good.”Barb whispered to herself as she tried hard not to cry. “I am a strong, independent women.” Branch couldn't take that away from her unless she let him and there was no way in hell that she would let that happen.

Once again, the Hard Rock Queen cautiously sat up, this time anticipating the pain and letting it flow through her instead of trying to fight it. It made it manageable; but just barely. She was taking measured breaths, breathing in and out slowly, when a wet tongue suddenly licked the back of her neck. Barb startle violently, hoarsely crying out as her body flooded with renewed pain which caused the world to spin crazily. Heart pounding painfully in her chest, she managed to carefully scooted around just enough so she could see behind her. Cowering in the shadows was her beloved Tour Bug. 

“Backbeat! Come here baby! Mama didn't mean to yell at you!”, she rasped gesturing to her beloved pet.

Backbeat, cautiously crept closer to the injured troll and then ran into the Barb's outstretched arms. The Hark Rock troll giggled as the insect caressed her face with his sticky tongue. She was so very grateful that he had survived Branch's surprise attack. The beetle paused as he reached the sticky gash on the side of her face where Branch had struck her with his brass knuckle and then began to try and lick it clean.

Barb hissed in pain and gently moved Backbeat away from her injury and gave his giant head another hug. “It's okay sweetheart. Mama's okay”, she said half to herself and half to her mount. The giant bug just huffed, clearly not convinced and collapsed down beside her. He gently leaned into her, making musical sounds of comfort. 

“Thank you boy.”, Barb sobbed, finally letting herself grieve, as she gave the beetle another hug. “I really needed that right now. I've had like the shittiest day ever.”

The female troll allowed herself a few minutes to cry before deciding it was time to get this shit show on the road. She had a job to do, and sitting here crying wasn't going to get it done. She needed to get moving like yesterday. Carefully bracing herself on her beetle, she slowly stood up, calling it a win when things only went a little gray. She carefully looked around the clearing, making sure that that shit-fucker Branch wasn't watching her like the freaking rapist he was. 

After a few minutes of searching the shadows of the tall plants, her eyes fell on a strange bundle sitting just a few feet away from her. Barb looked at the ragged object in confusion for an instance before her eyes widened in fury as she realized that the object was in fact the remains of her clothes, remade into a pretty crappy example of a scrapbook.

Growling, Barb ignored the sticky fluid that gushed out from her pussy as she unsteadily stumbled over to the clearly mockingly made item and roughly tore it open. A pretty credible likeness of her blood and cum covered body popped up to greet her along with a cutout of Branch pissing on her hair. Barb gave the book a look of disgust as her hand shot up to fel her mohaw, put paused halfway through the motion. Now wasn't the time to worry about that. She'd need a bath regardless of what that ass-bastard had done to her while she slept. 

Looking back at the scrapbook, she noticed that Branch had stitched her a parting message. Squinting, she just managed to make out the embroidered words in the bright starlight.

Dear Fuck Bitch,

Your silly little crusade dies right now. If you ever go near Poppy or our String again, I promise you that I won't be as gentle as I was this time.  
.

Love,  
Branch

Barb screamed into the night, furiously ripping the scrapbook apart. Did that ass-tard really think that Barb, the Queen of Rock, was broken?! That she was scared of him?! Did he really think she'd give up her dream of uniting the trolls so they could finally live in peace and harmony? As if she'd let some fucking abusive sicko rapist... Her burning rage suddenly turned to ice horror.

Rapist. Pop trolls were supposed to be happy, rainbow hugging, loving-to-the-point-of-stupidity softies. So if Branch was willing to beat and rape a troll he didn't even know, a troll who would fight back, what could he be doing to the others of his kind. What could he be doing to Queen Poppy?

The rock troll sighed in annoyance as she thought of Poppy. It was true that she had glittered and bejeweled her beloved Debby, It was true that her card rang of sarcasm and a blatant disrespect as to how friendships worked. And it was true that she had infected her beloved Dad with her horrible pop music. But no one deserved a lover who beat and raped them. 

With renewed purpose, Barb unsteadily climbed back to her her feet. She scanned the clearing, hoping that there was something she could use as clothing when her eyes fell on her Tour Bug's saddlebags crumpled on the ground. Painfully limping over to the damaged bags, she was overjoyed to see that the contents had survived the fall. She carefully kelt down and started sorting through the jumbled mess.

Stuffing the things she didn't need back into her bags, she was left with an extra set of clothing, a bottle of medicine which was literally magic, healing superficial wounds instantly and the more serious kinds in days rather than months. A must when you lived and performed in and around volcanoes, lava, and stupid roadies. A comb to keep the one's do looking it's best and finally a bag of puffalo jerky.

Barb ripped out the cork from the medicine bottle with her teeth and spat it out before taking a deep swig, not even bothering with proper dosage. She grimaced as she swallowed the bitter liquid. The way she was feeling, she could probably take the whole bottle and it still wouldn't be enough. Then without waiting for the magic to start working, the Hard Rock troll shakily grabbed her extra clothing and started to limp in the direction of the river she had been following before the attack.

It was time to get this show back on the road. And once she had united the trolls and saved Poppy from Branch she would show him how Hard Rock trolls did revenge.


	2. Away From the Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Branch has gone off to confront Barb, Queen of the Hard Rock trolls, Poppy is left on her own. The Pop Queen has a lot to think about as she has her own traumatic adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read the notes at the beginning of this story. 
> 
> Trigger warnings include, rape, molestation, and violence.
> 
> I know that Branch seems ooc, but please bear with me. All will be made clear. 
> 
> Also, every time I try to copy and paste my chapter to this site, it gets rid of all my italics. Anyone know how I can preserve them without figuring out how Rich Text works?

And now again I've found myself   
So far down, away from the sun   
That shines into the darkest place   
I'm so far down, away from the sun   
That shines to light the way for me   
To find my way back into the arms   
That care about the ones like me   
I'm so far down, away from the sun again   
~ Away From the Sun (3 Doors Down)

OOOO

Six hours earlier)

Poppy slowly sank to her knees and cried as Branch's form retreated into the distance, their argument echoing in her head. 

'We are really different', Poppy had angrily snipped at the teal troll. 

All he'd done this entire trip was criticize her plans. It wasn't fair! She was not only his Queen, she was supposed to be his best friend. Friends supported each other, they didn't attack them and tell them they were wrong. So when he had suggested that they were too different to get along, she was more than happy to agree with him.

Branch had stiffened as if the pink troll had slapped him and gave her a hurt look. 'So different' he had agreed stiffly. 

Poppy's mouth opened in surprise. She hadn't expected him to agree with her! He was supposed to have seen how wrong he was and beg for her forgiveness! 'Completely out of harmony', she sneered defensively.

'Completely', Branch agreed again.

Poppy wasn't the sort of troll who normally got angry. In fact, she could count how many times that had happened on one hand and have a finger left over. But what she felt now went far beyond anger.  
'How dare he be such a bad friend', she seethed mentally to herself as she tried to find a way to hurt Branch as badly as he had hurt her. 

Suddenly, an idea came to her and she gave teal troll a truly nasty smile before triumphantly saying “I don't even know why we're friends.”

As soon as she had said the words, Poppy wished that she could have take them back. While she had wanted to wound Branch, she wasn't prepared for the depths of pain and despair in the other troll's face.

'Neither do I.' Branch said in a strangely hollow voice as the light went from his icy blue eyes. Poppy stared at him in shock as he started to walk away. He suddenly paused and glanced back at her and said softly, “'So, why do I care about you more than anybody else in the world? Weird, right?'. Then he had walked off leaving her alone.

She hadn't really meant what she had said, but her pride as Queen wouldn't let her follow the other Pop troll and apologize. After what felt like an eternity of crying, Poppy finally ran out of tears. She looked up at the position of the sun and sighed. If she wanted to help the funk trolls in their fight against Barb, she had best get moving. 

Gracefully standing up, Poppy carefully brushed off her blue and green dress as she walked over to the river. She sighed at her tear streaked reflection and bent down to splash water on her face before retying her bright pink topknot and readjusting her crown. She looked back at her reflection and gave a satisfied nod at what she saw. 

“I can still fix this.”, Poppy said aloud in an effort to cheer herself up. “In fact this is going to be easy! Branch has had plenty of time to realized what a bad friend he's been! Once he's apologized we can find Hickory and convince Barb that the trolls really are all the same!” Finally feeling happy once again, she took off skipping in the direction that Branch had gone.

Poppy's cheerful gate suddenly slowed as she recalled the Funk King and Queen's words of warning. 

'But we are not all the same.” King Quincy had said when Poppy told him of her plan to show Barb that all trolls were the same.

Queen Essence had given her a kind but pitying look that sent waves of confusion through Poppy's body. 'It's why all our strings are different. Because they reflect our different music.

The Funk King had nodded in agreement before adding, “Denying our differences is denying the truth of who we are.

She had felt like they had poured a bucket of ice water over her head, completely killing her enthusiasm. She had never thought about it that way before and she couldn't quite understand what they were trying to tell her. 

“But they have to be wrong!” Poppy exclaimed as she walked, not paying attention to her surroundings. The differences between her and Branch were what had led them to their terrible argument! If they had just been the same, then Branch would have agreed with her, and they wouldn't have fought! And then he... 

Poppy stopped dead in her tracks as a wave of horrified understanding washed over her. He wouldn't be Branch. He wouldn't be the brave, loving, inventive, cautious troll that made Branch Branch. He'd just be a male version of Poppy. 

“Oh my freaking revelation!” the Pop Queen sang out happily “All trolls are different, but that's a good thing! It takes different voices to make harmony and it takes different kinds of trolls to make music!” Then another realization hit her, causing her joy to wither into bitter sorrow. “Holy hairballs! Branch! He was right all this time!”

She had to find Branch and apologize! She had been such a horrible horrible friend to the teal troll. She wasn't sure what she could do to make amends, but she had to try. Filled with new resolve, Poppy turned around and almost walked head first into a tree.

“What?” she exclaimed in confusion as she noticed her surroundings for the first time in over an hour. It quickly dawned on her that in her inattention, she had wandered away from the river and deep into a forest of some kind. The pink troll didn't recognize any of the strange plants, some of which were watching her hungrily, that stretched as far as the eye could see. The thick foliage blocked out most of the light, covering the forest floor in a deep twilight while a thick maze of thorny bushes and oozing vines made it almost impossible to walk.

“Hello?” the Pop Queen called out hesitantly. “Is anybody here? Branch? Hickory?” Strange garbled laughter bubbled up from all around her as glowing eyes appeared in the gloom. Poppy's eyes widened in fear as she clutched her hands to her chest. “Guys? If you're out there, now would be a good time to get over here!”

Plants rustled around her as more and more creatures became aware of her presence. The pink troll back away in fear, eyes darting all around her until a bright swatch of color in the distance grabbed her attention. A bright orange horse-like tail swished at her, like it was commanding her to follow, before it disappeared into the dense foliage.

“Hickory!” Poppy cried out in relief. “Wait! Wait for me!” Hickory neither paused nor slowed, causing Poppy to run after him in a panic, ever deeper into the dark woods. Brambles and thorns tore at her dress and scratched her arms, as the female troll attempted to keep up. “Hickory! Please slow down! I can't keep up!” The centaur troll either didn't hear her or didn't care as he continued his brake neck pace.

The Pop Queen had no choice but to try and keep up. 'Country Western trolls certainly have some stamina.' she thought wearily as she tried to force air into her burning lungs. The bright pink troll had thought that she was physically fit, but now she wasn't so sure. Pulling branches out of her hair that were threatening to rip the crown from her head, she forced herself to run faster when Hickory disappeared. 

“NO!”, Poppy desperately cried out, as she tore her way through the never ending brambles with renewed vigor. She couldn't loose her friend now! Not when she was so close!

Struggling, she finally reached the place where Hickory had disappeared, when vines suddenly wound around the pink troll's ankles, almost pulling her off of her feet. “Oh, sugar!”, she cursed as she struggled to pull free. She tore at the vines, shedding them with her nails until they let go, sending the troll flying.

Poppy screamed as she flew through the air before landing hard on a muddy embankment. She lay there stunned as she began to slide fast and faster down the steep slope until she hit the water below. The freezing liquid quickly filled the pink troll's lungs as she gave an involuntary gasp. She tried desperately to swim to the surface as her exhaustion finally caught up with her. Her limbs felt like they were made of lead and refused to cooperate as her movements began to slow and then stop. Poppy looked up woozily as she began to sink into the deep water. 

'So this is how it ends', the Pop Queen lazily thought as things began to dim. “I guess Barb won't get my String after all.' Suddenly images of Branch filled her mind. Branch calling her name, looking for her. Images of her kingdom and all of the trolls that were under her care that were counting on her. She couldn't let them down now.

Poppy began to claw the water with renewed vigor, ever so slowly swimming upward until she finally reached the surface. The Pop Queen coughed violently, vomiting up what felt like half the lake before she wearily swam over to sandy bank. Shakily crawling out, she collapsed on her back with a groan and stared up at the blue sky with a new appreciation.

“Damn it” she said dully to no one in particular.

Her view was suddenly interrupted by a furry face that looked down at her and gave a musical chirp. Poppy hurriedly sat up as the strange long legged animal attempted to sit in her lap. The creature looked just like a furry squirrel with slender legs, a long neck, and a bright orange mane and tail. Poppy let out a groan of exasperation. She hadn't been following Hickory after all.

The Pop Queen tried to give the gentle creature a stern glare, but couldn't keep it up as it nuzzled her face and purred. “Thanks a lot little friend” Poppy sighed as she pet the creature's head. “Now I'm even more lost.” The squirrel(?) didn't look ashamed in the least at it gently nibbled her hair and curled up on her lap to sleep. The pink troll sighed and laid back down. The creature was just so warm and so fluffy! It wouldn't hurt to take a little bit of a nap with her new furry friend while she got her strength back.

With a sigh, she gently held the friendly animal close as she drifted off into an exhausted sleep.

OOO

When Poppy awoke, she saw that night had already fallen. She lazily stared at the stars glistening in the sky for a few minutes, before everything came rushing back. “I have to find Branch!” she cried in alarm, startling her fuzzy friend awake. He would be so worried about her and he didn't deserve that after what she had done.

The strange squirrel-horse (Squorse?) suddenly sat up and swiveled its large ears to and fro, as though it had heard something that she didn't. The pink troll looked nervously at the treeline, as she gently rubbed the creature, trying her best to sooth it when it suddenly scrambled off of her lap and bounded away into the darkness. 

Poppy quickly scrambled to her feet. “I don't know who's out there, but I wanted you to know that I'm armed!” Poppy yelled out in a quavering voice. “With um...hugs.” she finished lamely. She was really regretting throwing away Branch's weapons right about now.

Loud mocking laughter echoed in the clearing as a group of strange looking trolls emerged from the foliage. All three were naked with their genitals concealed within their bodies, just like Glitter trolls. They had their multicolored hair in dreadlocks which were tied up in topknots and brightly colored shapes all over their bodies. The male and his two female companions looked her up and down in a way that made Poppy feel exposed.

The aqua colored male with the deep yellow hair gave her a condescending smile.“Well, then I'm glad you warned us.” he said in a strangely accented voice. “I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt. Are you by any chance, Queen Poppy?”

“Yes I am!” cried Poppy with relief. “Oh my goodness! I'm so glad you found me! I've been lost for..well..hours! Are you here to rescue me?”

“Well, I wouldn't say that” laughed the orange female with the blue and purple dreads. Poppy looked at her, confused at what she meant when the male shot out his dreadlocks, pinning her to one of the large rocks surrounding the lake. The thick coils of hair held her wrists, waist, and ankles in a punishing grip as one of his friends grabbed her pink hair and yanked her neck painfully to the side, effectively rendering her defenseless.

“Who are you?!”, Poppy cried out painfully as the orange female continued to pull her pink hair. “Ow! What do you want?!”

“I must beg your pardon Pop troll.”, the male said with a mischievous smile. “My name is Tresillo and these are my lovers, Marimba and Tambora. Together we are known at the Reggaeton Trolls! As for what we want.” the aqua troll paused to give Poppy a devastating smile. “We want your String.”

“What? Why?”, Poppy asked confused before she snapped “Ow! Let go of my hair!”, to the orange Marimba who just smiled back.

All three Reggaeton trolls chuckled before Tresillo gave her a serious look. “Why to give it to Queen Barb you silly little thing. We will be rewarded handsomely for it.”

“Please don't do this!”, Poppy begged, desperately. “We'll lose our music if you give our String to Barb!!”

“And if we don't, we lose ours.”, the male troll quipped back. “If you just tell us where it is, then this will be over quickly and no one has to get hurt.”

“Well then you're out of luck, because I'll never tell you where it is”, yelled Poppy as her fear gave way to anger. She stared at them defiantly, giving the colorful trolls the fiercest glare she could.

Once again, the Reggaetons just laughed. “She's like an angry fluffy kitten!”, gasped out the green female with the red and pink dreads that had to be Tambora. Poppy narrowed her eyes in fury which just caused another bought of laughter.

“Okay, okay. This has been entertaining”, Tresillo chuckled as he wiped tears from his eyes. “But the other bounty hunters will be coming soon.” He gave Poppy a look she didn't understand before he crossed his arms and gave another smile “You're in luck today Pop troll. I was all ready to rough you up, but seeing as you're just a sweet little girl, I'm going to try something different.

The aqua male motioned to his friends who then gave Poppy flirtatious smirks. The pink troll tried to ready herself for whatever the bounty hunters had planned, but was unprepared when she felt Marimba slide her free hand inside of her dress. The Pop Queen let out a squeak of surprise as the orange troll started to lightly play with her nipple, rubbing and squeezing the little nub with her fingers.

“Wh-wh-what are you doing?!”, Poppy managed to gasp out as shivers of pleasure filled her body.

Marimba chuckled as she leaned in close. “We're looking for the String of course”, she purred as she started to lick and suck on Poppy's ear. 

Poppy involuntarily moaned as more intense sparks of pleasure went straight to her groin. She startled as she felt another set of hands slip under her dress and join in, teasing her other nipple. Poppy strained against the dreadlocks and Marimba's grip on her hair as Tambora joined in. “After all,” the green troll moaned as she licked the Pop Queen's exposed neck. “It could be anywhere.”

The pink troll tried to struggle as her body was filled with intense new feelings. She had never been touched this way before, at least not by another troll, and she had trouble even trying to speak. “St-stop!”, she slurred incoherently as the two females continued to seductively caress and tease her breasts and ears. “Ple-eaes!”

“Please?”,Tresillo said, clearly amused. “Do you hear that girls? I think she's asking for more!”

“Nooo!”, the Pop Queen howled, face red with humiliation as Tambora and Marimba's hands went lower. The pink troll struggled fruitlessly against the aqua male's dreads, causing them to dig deeply into her skin. The hands started to play with her stomach and her back, places Poppy never dreamed would cause her sexual pleasure, and were now sending waves of bliss through her body.

Poppy continued to fight and curse at her captors as the caresses went even lower. Fireworks seem to burst in her body as those hands started to play with her clit and Poppy suddenly forgot how to breathe. She trembled like a leaf on the wind, letting out moans she couldn't hold back as tears of mortification dripped down her face. She tried to glare at the male troll, but knew that he wasn't impressed as she started to sob.

Walking closer, the Reggaeton troll smiled. “My my. Such naughty language for a Queen! What would your people think? Now, you ready to give us your String, or are we going to have to look even further down.” He snapped his fingers and both females stopped what they were doing. 

The Pop Queen raised her tear and snot streaked face high and hissed, “Fuck. You.” and then spit in his face

Tresillo screamed angrily as he wiped the spit off of his cheek. “Things didn't have to turn out like this”, he snared at the pink troll who continued to glare at him defiantly. “All you had to do was cooperate and then you could go home. But no, you have to do things the hard way. Fine Pop troll, you want it the hard way, I'll give you the hard way.”

With those words he used his hair to brutally jerk Poppy's legs apart, causing her dress to split with a loud rip. The pink troll screamed in pain and then stared at him in shock as he jerked his head at his green skinned lover.

“Tambora!”, he ordered. “Go finger fuck the Pop Queen for a while and see if that changes her mind.”

“Tresillo, I don't know about this.”, the female troll said nervously as she walked to the front of Poppy and knelt down. “I think we're going too far.”

“Idiota!” sneered Marimba to her companion. “Do you wanna be some lame Hard Rock troll? What about your cousins? You wanna see them become one? Think of your family hermana!” She gave Poppy's hair a vicious shake and pulled her head even further to the side, causing the pink troll to sob with pain. “We need this one's String to save our music!”

The green female visually steeled her resolve and gave her friend a terse nod before mouthing an apology to Poppy. The pink female watched in horror as Tambora gently reached under her ruined dress and expertly inserting her green fingers deep inside the other troll.

Poppy froze as she gasped as she felt the digits explore places she hadn't even touched herself. The feeling was incredible and she instinctively clamped down as hard as she could. Waves of pleasure flowed through her as the fingers pumped in and out, exploring every nook and cranny. Poppy lost herself in the moment as she rhythmically squeezed those fingers, as they brought her closer and closer to something she didn't understand. White hot heat kept building and building until Poppy was shocked out of her trance by the sounds of mocking laughter.

The Pop Queen's eyes widened in horror as Tresillo and Marimba pointed and laughed as the sudden flood of shame extinguished any pleasure she may have been experiencing. Now she just felt dirty and deeply disgusted with herself. What was wrong with her? Tambora gently pulled her fingers from her dripping vagina and looked away.

“¡Ay bendito!” the aqua troll cried out, still laughing. “The bitch is enjoying this! Can you believe it?” He strode over quickly and roughly grabbed Poppy's chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. “Are you ready to give us the String up now Corbeja? Or are we gonna have to try something new?”

The pink troll started to answer when she suddenly found reserves of strength that she didn't knew she had. “Fuck. You.”, she growled and then lunged, teeth clicking mere millimeters from Tresillo's nose.

The male Raggaeton jerked backwards, almost falling over his own hair. He glared at her with eyes full of hate and snapped. “Fine then. You want me to fuck you so badly, then fine. We'll fuck.”

Poppy stared at him in horror, her heart skipping a beat, as he moved closer to her. “No!”, she whimpered as she started to cry. “Please no! Please”

Tresillo just scowled at her, unmoved, as the tip of his cock started to emerge from its slit. Pooled precum gushed out, showing that he'd been aroused for a while now. “Get ready Pop troll, because I'm going to make sure that this really hurts.”

Time seemed to slow as the pink troll watched the male Raggaeton come closer. Tambora moved in slow motion as she tried to grab his arm while she heard distantly Marimba laugh in delight. Everything looked fake, like she was watching a badly put together play. Poppy shook her head, wishing that the pounding of her own heart wasn't quite so loud so she could just think clearly.

Suddenly everything snapped back to normal as a really really pissed off voice yelled “Just what the fuck do you think you're doing?!”

All the trolls turned as one to look at the newcomer. She was a purple female troll with red hair strangely shaved on the sides to form a tall Mohawk. Poppy, still in shock, distantly noted that the troll looked like she had been injured recently. A half healed gash marred the side of her beautiful face and horrific dark bruising encircled her neck. Water dripped from the troll's colorful hair and soaked into her rumpled clothes.

Poppy allowed herself to feel a moment of hope before Tresillo's next words made it fizzle into despair.

“Queen Barb!”, he said in surprise, moving away quickly. His penis disappeared as if it had never been out. “I didn't expect to see you so soon! As you can see, we have captured Queen Poppy and are now trying to get her to tell us where the String is so we can deliver it to you”

Queen Barb gave the male a dark look before limping over and putting herself between Poppy and her attackers. Giving the pink troll a quick visual examination, the other troll's eyes widen in fury. Growling she spun around and spat, “Release her or I'll rip your fucking hair from your fucking head and release her for you!”

The aqua troll quickly unwound his dreads from around Poppy's body causing the pink troll to collapse to the ground, all feeling gone from her throbbing arms and legs. Poppy curled into a ball as best she could as the reality of what had just happened hit her and she started to sob uncontrollably.

Tresilo glared at the purple troll as he gestured for Tambora and Marimba . The two female trolls ran to him quickly, watching the Rock Queen with fearful eyes. “Bicha.”, he muttered just loud enough for Poppy and unfortunately for him, Barb, to hear.

“I know what that means asshole”,screamed Barb as she took a threatening step toward the trio. The aqua male held out his arms and pushed his loves further back as he scowled at the raging queen. Barb gave them a look of utter disgust before she dropped to her knees and gently leaned forward to comfort the grieving troll, but pulled back as Poppy flinched away.

“Hey Pop-sicle, are you okay?”, the purple female asked softly. Poppy opened her mouth but couldn't manage to form any words. She cried harder as she realized that it was all over now. Barb had won.

“Hey!”, the Rock Queen barked, as she jumped back to her feet. “What did you fuckers do to her?!

“I told you.”, Tresillo growled. “We were just trying to find her String.”

“Well, you guys sure fucked that away.”, Barb snarled as she stalked closer to the bounty hunters who suddenly looked like they wanted to fade back into the brush. “Pop-corn here is so traumatized that she can't even fucking talk!”

The purple female's words had an energizing effect on Poppy. She didn't want to appear weak in front of another Queen, especially one who was about to completely destroy her way of life. If she was going to lose everything, then she was going to meet it head on like the Queen that she was. The pink troll gritted her teeth and forced herself to her feet. She stood defiantly and she gave Barb a fierce glower as the other troll looked at her in surprise. “Don't act like you care.”, she snapped at the Hard Rock Queen. “All you want is my String so you can destroy my music.”

For a split second, Barb looked strangely vulnerable and hurt, like Poppy had wounded her somehow, before it was replaced with amusement. “This is who I've been worried about? This little pipsqueak?”

“You'll never get my String and I'll never stop fighting until I make things right”, Poppy snapped angrily. “And I'm not a pipsqueak!

Barb folded her arms and gave the pink troll a look that told Poppy that the purple female thought she was an idiot. “Uh, yeah, you are. Because I'm like a whole centimeter taller than you. And you're wrong pop-squeak. I will get your string and I know you have it on you.”

Poppy forced herself to give the other Queen a taunting smile as worry churned in her gut. “How do you know I haven't hidden it in Pop Village?”

Barb laughed as she walked over to the Pop Queen, looking at her in amusement. “Oh I know it isn't in your village. And do you want to know how I know? Because I was already there.”

The world seem to tilt crazily as Poppy fought to breathe. The Hard Rock trolls had been to her village?! What had happened to her people? Her father? Tears sprung to her eyes as she realized Branch had been right once again. They should have gone back home.

“Now, if I were a sickly sweet Pop troll who lived in a land full of glitter and rainbows, where would I hide the most important thing I owned?”, Barb asked mockingly as she started to walk in a circle around Poppy, looking at her with hooded eyes. “Well, I personally would have sewn it into my clothes so no one would find it, but you..” Barb paused as if she were deep in thought before she smiled once again and plunged her hand into Poppy's hair.

Poppy gasped at he horrible intrusion as the Rock Queen committed the ultimate taboo. Trolls didn't touch each other's hair without permission, much less prob around in the personal magical space each troll possessed. Once again, just for a second, Poppy could see past Barb's hardened exterior ad saw shame and sorrow as the purple troll pulled out the Pop String. 

“You would hide it in your hair.” She looked at the Poppy and shook her head in disbelief. “In your hair? Really?” She then turned to give the Raggaetons another look of deep disgust. “That would have been the first place I'd have looked”

The Rock Queen gestured toward the sky and suddenly they were surrounded by dozens of Rocker trolls on spiked beetles, who's shouts and laughter filled the air with ear splitting noise.

“Hey guys! Glad you could make it”, Barb shouted happily to her followers. She then gestured to the multicolored trolls who had been trying to sneak off in the chaos. “ Please take these losers back to Volcano Rock City. I'll be taking the Queen of Pop myself.”

Poppy backed away from the other Queen in horror as the large trolls dropped off of their mounts and charged the trio of bounty hunters. Tresillo growled and punched one of the Rockers in the face as three others tackled him to the ground and started to viciously beat him. Marimba and Tambora hissed in fury and went to join in the fight, when they were forced away and tied to two of the spiked beetles before dragging the badly beaten male Raggaeton over and tying him to a third.

Poppy trembled, never having seen that kind of violence before in her life and then turned to run. She immediately slammed into Barb who had been standing behind her. The Hard Rock Queen looked annoyed for an instant before her expression softened.

“Come on Pop-over..” she said, not unkindly. “You're better off with me, unless you really want to ride with these guys.”

Poppy's faced reddened as the remaining trolls laughed at her amid whistles and catcalls. She quickly strode forward and grabbed Barb's arm, suddenly very tired. Now that she had lost, she just wanted it all to be over. The purple female looked at her in concern as she led the Pop Queen over to a ginormous spiked insect. Gently removing her hand from her arm, Barb leapt up stiffly and landed on her mount with a shout of pain.

“Are you okay?”, Poppy asked in concern, unable to stop herself as the Rock Queen doubled over in agony, clutching her abdomen. Breathing heavily, the purple female gave her a dismissive wave before extending her hand to help Poppy up. The pink troll looked down for a moment, considering her options before looking up and extending her hand. Grasping wrists, Barb hauled her up with a grunt of pain and positioned the Pop Queen behind her.

“Hold on tight.”, Barb warned her as her spiked beetle shakily rose into the sky. Poppy squeaked as she almost fell off, and quickly wrapped her arms around the purple female, carefully avoiding the area that seemed to pain her. She heard the other Queen take a shaky pained breath and then felt her turn around to look back at her. Poppy refused to look up as she pressed herself closer to the other troll's back, taking a strange kind of comfort in her presence. 

They flew in silence for a time as Poppy rested her head on the other troll's back. The pink troll was trying her best not to think about what was to come when the other troll broke the silence.

“I'm really sorry about this Poppy.”, Barb said in a subdued voice. “I just want to unite the world. To have us all be a big happy family again, just like we used to be. It wasn't supposed to go down this way. I really hope we can still be friends when this is all over.”

Poppy didn't answer as she began to quietly sob and tears poured down her face. If Barb noticed that her shirt had suddenly became damp again, she was kind enough not to mention it.


	3. Crazy Train

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes all it takes is a new friend and someone to just listen to change how things might have gone. Barb suspects that something bad has happened to Poppy, so instead of taking her directly to her cell, the Rock Queen takes her to her bedroom in order to show the other queen a little bit of kindness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be aware that because of the change in the timeline, some of the other events that take place have also been changed. 
> 
> I have added my own headcannon as to why Barb started on the World Tour like she did. If anyone is interested, I'll post it at the end of this chapter.
> 
> No rape in this one, but keep in mind there is violence and some hard core stuff. Please enjoy!

Crazy, that's how it goes  
Millions of people living as foes  
Music has kept us apart  
It's time for the hard rock revolution to start  
No spats, no tiffs, no fighting  
When everyone's the same  
We're going off the rails on a crazy train

~Crazy Train (Barb, Queen of Hard Rock)

Barb was pumped as they neared Volcano Rock City, the capital of her kingdom. The volcano from which the city was named, had been carved into a massive fortress from where the Royal family lived and ruled their lands. Behind her home was a massive concert stage which served as both a place for them to put on awesome concerts and give important announcements. It had enough seating for almost every troll in the six kingdoms, which would be put to good use tonight.

The rest of the Hard Rock lands consisted of smaller volcanoes and the vast rivers of lava and ash that flowed from them. Luckily, her people were very heat resistant and even brief direct contact with lava didn't hurt them. They were adept at farming crops in the fertile ash and raising livestock in the constantly shifting safe areas of their domain. It was a hard existence, but it suited a race of trolls that lived life on the edge. They lived hard, loved hard, played hard, and partied hard. The best thing about their kingdom was of course, the music.

The Rock Queen enjoyed the wind flowing through her red hair as she rode atop her tour bus creature and celebrated her victory with her dad and Riff, her drummer and childhood friend. She had won! She had managed to get all the Strings, she had a bitchin concert planned, and soon her dream of uniting the trolls would come true. All she had to do to fully enjoy things was to forget the last twenty-four hours had ever happened. 

And the Pop Queen she had in her prison.

She had known that something had gone terribly wrong when she had landed next to Poppy and the bounty hunters. The pink troll had been horribly beaten and it didn't take a genius to figure out who had done it. But it was the look on Poppy's face that had shaken Barb down to her core. It was the same look she had seen in her own reflection while she had scrubbed herself raw in the river. That along with how sedate Poppy had been when she had been put in her cell for the trip back, led Barb to suspect that they had more in common than just being leaders of their people.

“Rock 'n' roll!”, her father called out excitedly, shaking Barb out of her tumultuous thoughts as they flew over streets filled to bursting with Rock trolls waiting for their turn to be let into the stadium where her big concert would begin in just a few hours.

Barb looked at her father with love and affection as she laughed out loud. She hadn't seen him so excited and alive since her mother had died, about a decade ago. She knew he didn't have much time left before old age completely robbed him of his mental faculties, so she was thrilled that she was able to make him happy now.

“Rock 'n' roll!”, Barb screeched back happily as she started to head-bang, her fingers a flurry of motion as she went over her guitar solos in her head. Now wasn't the time for heavy thinking. No, it was time to get ready to ROCK!

OOO

Barb took one look at Poppy's tear stained face and torn dress and reluctantly changed her plans for the Pop Queen. If what she suspected was true, there was no way that she could send the other female out on stage looking like that. With the decision made, Barb dragged an unresisting Poppy from the stadium and into the royal fortress, causing Riff and two of her guards to scramble in order to keep up.

Even in her family's personal wing, there were trolls hurrying about everywhere, doing the hundreds of tasks needed to put on a show of this magnitude. Barb ignored Riff's frantic questions as she dodged around several large trolls carrying heavy equipment. She glanced back at Poppy and started to get worried as the other troll just kept staring at her own feet and showing no interest on what was going on around her. Finally reaching her room, Barb pulled Poppy inside and slammed the door in Riff's face, causing him to run headlong into it with a loud thump.

“O-okay! I'll be out here if you need me or whatever.”, came the muffled reply

“Thanks man!”, Barb called out absently as she kicked some of her crap out of the way as she continued to drag Poppy behind her. Finally reaching her goal, Barb half lifted, half shoved Poppy onto her bed with a grunt of pain. The pink troll tumbled ungracefully into the soft bedding with a startled cry. 

Her bed was a large monstrosity made from a dark wood and covered in silk and velvet sheets, blankets and pillows all in black and deep reds. Her collection of various stuffed animals (which no troll dared to make fun) lined the headboard, ready to offer comfort which she definitely didn't need.

“Stay”, Barb told Poppy firmly as the pink troll tried to untangle herself from the messy bedding. Without waiting for the other to get settled, she marched over to her large wardrobe, carved from the same dark wood as her bed, and started to rummage about inside. Muttering obscenities under her breath, the Rock Queen flung clothing in every direction as she searched.

“Where are we?” the Rock Queen heard Poppy call out as she dug through a pile of old costumes she had used in past rock concerts.

Annoyed at the interruption, Barb stuck her head out of the wardrobe and gave the pink troll a patronizing look and a roll of her eyes. “We're in my bedroom, duh!”, she said as she started to dig through another pile. “You wanna go out there dressed in that? You take a deep breath Pop-pet and you're going to have a massive wardrobe fail.”

Barb chuckled evilly when she heard the other female give a squeal of mortification. “Man, Pop trolls are fun!”, she thought to herself. 

“But why do you care? I mean, I'm your prisoner right?”, Poppy said softly with a suspicious quaver in her voice. 

Barb sighed as she wearily leaned against the inside wall of the wardrobe. “Yeah, Pop-tart, you're my prisoner, but that doesn't mean I don't care. Look, I know I'm coming across as a power hunger lunatic, which might have something to it I guess. But I don't hate you or anything. I'm just trying to unite the trolls under one kingdom.”

She waited for Poppy to say something, anything. When the silence stretched on, Barb poked her head out to find Poppy was playing with one of her stuffed animals and looking conflicted and torn. Annoyed, Barb snapped, “Hey! What are you doing with Prince Cuddlekins!” 

Barb's eyes widened in horror as Poppy gave her a huge smile and looked at her in disbelief. She hadn't meant to use the childish name she'd given lava-fox plush, but it had just sorta slipped out.

“Prince Cuddlekins?”, the pink troll giggled as she gave the plushie a hug. “That's so adorable! Don't worry, I promise I'll be gentle with him!”

Wishing she had a hole she could crawl into, Barb did the next best thing and ducked back into the wardrobe, hoping Poppy hadn't seen her blush. “You'd better”, she threatened the other troll half-hardheartedly

“You know, it's hard to find you scary when you have a stuffed toy named Prince Cuddlekins!”, Poppy cheerfully told her in a voice that clearly said that she hadn't fooled the other troll.

“Shut up Pop-corn”, Barb warned as she started flinging more clothes out of the closet.

“I mean, you can't be that bad if you have all these cute little fluff babies here to play with”

“I SAID SHUT UP!”

“Okay, but I'm still thinking it!”, Poppy said back in a sing-song voice, causing Barb to groan in misery.

Grumbling under her breath, Barb continued to search for several more minutes until she finally found what she was looking for. “Yes!”, she shouted triumphantly as she turned around and kicked open the half closed doors. Exiting the wardrobe proudly, she excitedly showed the Pop Queen what she had found. The outfit was comprised of a sleeveless black leather top with red embroidery and a flaming skull on the back and a distressed blue denim skirt.

Poppy was obviously much less impressed as she gave the outfit a look of deep disgust. “I'm not wearing that.” The Pop Queen told her flatly.

“This is all I've got Pop-squeak!”, Barb said annoyed as she threw the clothes at the other female. Poppy caught the outfit awkwardly as it hit her in the face causing Barb to chuckle as she made her way to her over to her dresser. “It's the closest thing I've got to the sort of thing you'd wear, which is why I've never worn it. Not hard rock enough”, she continued as she collected accessories to compliment the dress.

“Really?”, the pink troll asked her weakly as she held the top to her chest, obviously hoping that Barb was pulling her leg.

“Really.”, Barb said with finality as she dropped what she had found beside the other troll. “Besides, you gonna look killer with these!” 

Poppy sighed as she looked at the silver buckled skull belt, black fishnet stockings, and studded leather cuffs. “I thought that was your look?”, she huffed as she gathered up the clothing.

“Yeah, of course!”, Barb laughed as she pushed Poppy behind her carved dark wooden dressing screen so she could change. “Someone needs to teach you how to dress.”

“Yeah, right!”, Poppy laughed. “At least my clothes aren't covered in holes!”

“It's a Rocker look, dude. It's awesome, so I wouldn't expect you to understand!”

The pink troll just laughed back.

Sighing exhaustedly, Barb threw herself on her bed, making sure to grab Prince Cuddlekins, and buried herself in the soft pillows. While the magical medicine had healed most of her wounds by now, she still felt like she had been on the loosing end of a rowdy mosh pit. She supposed that was normal considering what she'd been though. The brief thought was enough to cause memories of her attack to flood her brain. Barb cursed under her breath as tears started to form in her eyes. “Come on Barb!”, she thought to herself harshly. “Now's not the time for this!”

She was eternally grateful when Poppy's sweet musical voice jolted her out of her despair. “So, why are you doing this anyway?”, the other queen called out from behind the screen. “Why are you trying to force all the different trolls to be the same?

Barb carefully weighed her options as she tried to decide how much she should tell the pink troll. On one hand, her reasons were deeply personal and if Poppy knew them, she could use them against her. On the other hand, she really needed someone to talk to and she was starting to like the sickly sweet Pop troll. 'Besides, after tonight, it won't actually matter what she knows', Barb thought as she decided to just tell her everything.

Stuffing pillows around her body until she was comfortable, Barb hugged her stuffed fox close and started to tell her tale. “All Rock trolls know about the different tribes. We never kept that info from our people or forgot our past like some of those loser tribe leaders. My mom would read me stories of what things were like before your fuck-tard ancestor tried to steal the Strings.

“Awww!”, Poppy called out as she dressed.”Your mom read to you? That's so sweet!”

“Would you shut the fuck up and let me talk!”, Barb snapped angrily, wanting to get through her story as quickly as possible.

“Sorry.”, came the contrite reply.

Ignoring the apology, Barb began again. “One day Mom and Dad had an idea that seemed great at the time. You see, we Rock trolls love going on tour. That way everyone can enjoy our awesome music and join in and party. I mean, what's the point of music if you just keep it to your self? So anyway, after a particularly wicked Royal tour, my parents decided it would be a great idea to share our music to the trolls outside of our kingdom. I guess I can understand what they were thinking. We'd play our music and make new fans and have even more epic parities!”

Barb had to pause as she fought down a torrent of emotions. All the years seemed to fade away and she was that ten year old once again, excited to go with her Mama and Daddy and share her music with the world. “After our scouts came back, my parents decided to start our tour in Lonesome Flats. I guess they figured that we had something in common, you know, with our homelands being giant hellholes and all. We should have just left when everyone treated us like shit after we asked if could put on our concert.”

She let herself trail off as Poppy came out from behind the screen with a look of deep concern. Barb's eyes widened in surprise as took in the Pop Queen's transformation. “Wow Pop-sicle! All you need now are some piercings and you'd look really hot!”, she said giving the pink troll a huge smile.

Poppy looked away and blushed as she mumbled. “Uh. No thank you.”

“You sure?”, the Rock Queen asked as she tried to look around her messy floor without disturbing her pillow nest. “I think the nail I used for my last one is in here somewhere.”

“I'm sure”, the pink troll said firmly as she crawled across the massive bed and sat down next to the other troll. “What happened next?”

“Well, tons of Country trolls showed up and silently watched us do our entire set. Two hours of dancing, jamming, singing and righteous pyrotechnics, while they watched disapprovingly. When it was all over, some of them ran up on stage and started yelling at Dad and of course he started screaming back. 

One of the cowards sucker punched him in the back of the head and suddenly the rest of those horse bastards rushed the stage. One guy came at us with a huge knife, like the kind you use when you butcher meat. Mama shoved me behind her and told me to run back to the bus as she hit that asshole in the face with her guitar. It was the most bravest and most awesome thing I had ever seen. Anyway, when I went to run, I slipped and fell into what was left of our Bassist. He had died protecting us and we didn't even know.” Barb trailed off as she became lost in the memory. “There was so much blood...”

Barb laid there frozen, lost in her nightmarish memories, until she felt a gentle touch on her arm. She jumped, upsetting her nest of pillows and scowled at Poppy as the other troll leaned in and tried to give her a hug. 

“Back off Pop-over, I'm fine”, Barb snapped as she roughly pushed Poppy away and she sat up with a grunt. The Pop Queen just gave her a comforting smile that clearly said that she had seen through Barb's pathetic attempts at preserving her dignity.

Rolling her eyes and taking a deep breath, the Rock Queen continued. “His killer was still standing there gloating. He grabbed me by my hair and yanked me away from Mom and the others. I tried to fight him off, but I was like ten, so there wasn't much I could do, you know? He just laughed and punched me a bit before he fucking bit off half of my ear and ate it. Then he grabbed my head and neck and started to twist, like he was trying to open a goddamn jar or something.

Dad came out of nowhere and saved my sorry ass. One second I thought I was going to die and the next, Dad's on that asshole's back and wrapping a guitar string around his throat to use as a garrote. He held on until the horse stopped moving and then he scooped me off the ground and jumped on one of our flyer bugs and flew away. I kept begging him to go back for Mom, but he just held me tight to him and wouldn't answer. It wasn't until we got home that I realized we were the only ones left. Those bastards killed my Mom and the other Hard Rock trolls just because we were different from them.”

Neither troll talked for quite a while, each lost in their own thoughts. It wasn't completely silent, not with a major concert about to be preformed in an hour or so. Barb found it comforting to just listen to her people as they laughed, joked and occasionally screamed out imitations of guitar solos while they worked. She loved her people as much as she loved her music. They were so loud and passionate, so electric and alive. She would do anything to protect them, although after the concert, she wouldn't need to.

The Queen of Rock let out a strangled half-scream as Poppy tackled her and gave her a hug. “Get off me!!”, the purple female gurgled as she tried unsuccessfully to push the other troll off. Poppy just tightened her grip and gently nuzzled her neck as the pink troll started to cry. Irritation changed to relief in the blink of an eye as the hug actually started to make Barb feel better. She looked down at Poppy in amazed surprise before awkwardly hugging her back.

“There it is! I knew you really needed a hug”, Poppy sobbed as she hugged Barb harder, startling the purple female. 

She hadn't thought that the Pop Queen would really care all that much about what had happened to her. Trolls only cared about their own tribes. Right? 

Poppy pulled away and gave her a kind smile. “I'm so sorry that happened to you Barb.”

Emotionally vulnerable and at a lose for words, the Rock Queen fell back on her defenses. She gently pushed Poppy out of the way and then sprang off the bed with a grunt of pain. “But don't you see Pop-squeak! After tonight, we'll all be Rock trolls! The different tribes won't be enemies anymore! There won't be any fighting and no one else has to die because of intolerance!”, she shouted with enthusiasm. “Poppy, we can be friends then! All of us can!”

Barb stood, smiling wide with her hands in the air as she waited for the Queen of Pop to finally see her vision. 'This is going to be awesome!', she thought as she waited. Poppy just looked at her in surprise and then with hurt. The purple female slowly lowered her hands as she watched the other troll in confusion. Didn't she get it? 

“I thought we were already friends.”, the pink troll said stiffly as she folded her arms.

“But it will be even better when you're a Rocker troll! Other than your terrible taste in clothing and music and general lifestyle, you and I are already the same! We're just two queens who want to unite the world in any way we can!”, Barb told her, wanting her to be on board with what was about to happen. She wasn't sure when she started to care what the Pop Troll thought, but for some reason it mattered to her.

Poppy looked shocked and then horrified at her words. “I once thought just like you do! That trolls could only get along if they were all the same! But I was wrong Barb, just like you are! Our differences make us stronger, they help us understand things that we never would have otherwise. Look at us! We're friends already! Don't you see? You can't harmonize alone!!”

For the first time since Barb had come up with a plan to reunite the trolls, she felt tendrils of doubt. The Rock Queen felt as if she had fallen into freezing water as she mentally went over her plan. 'Poppy can't be right! She just can't be! Differences drive us apart, they don't bring people together!', she thought as she tried to ignore the beginnings of fear. 'She just can't be right! But what if she is.' 

Fighting down her panic, Barbwhirled around and stalked over to the door. “You're wrong Poppy.” she said flatly with more conviction than she felt. 

Flinging open the door and she yelled to her guards. “Put Queen Poppy in her cell, we have a concert to put on!” The two Rockers started headbanging and flashed her the rock 'n' roll salute, which she returned, before they rushed into her room and came back out carrying the Pop Queen between them. 

“Please don't do this!”, Poppy cried out desperately as they carried her away. “Please!”

“Don't worry, you'll understand soon!”, Barb called out as she attempted to comfort the Pop Queen. “I can't wait to party with you Poppy!” 

After the pink troll was out of sight, she turned to Riff who was still staring wide mouthed in the direction her guards had taken Queen Poppy and wringing his hands nervously. “Hey Riff”, she called out to her childhood friend as she unwound the Pop String from beneath her leather cuff where she had hidden it. She suddenly didn't want it touching her anymore.“Go and get the Guitar while I get dressed.”

“Of-of co-course your Rockness!”, he stammered absently, obviously not really paying attention.

Barb frowned at the gray male, confused. “I mean now Riff”, she said with an impatient growl.

“Oh! So-sorry Barb! Right away Barb!”, he squawked as he hurried off to the shrine where the Hard Rock Guitar was kept.

Sighing and shaking her head, Barb hurried to get ready for the show. Quickly shucking off all of her clothing, she gave herself a once over in her huge gothic style floor to ceiling mirror. Frowning at the still healing bruising, she took a chug of the medicinal potion, knowing full well that she'd pay dearly for it later. Magic used your own energy in order for it to work and she had already used more in the last day than was recommended.

“That's something to worry about after the concert”, Barb muttered to herself softly as she slipped into clean panties and opened the garment bag that contained her costume for tonight.

The Rock Queen's breathing hitched as she pulled out the brilliant white and gold outfit. 'The royal tailors have really outdone themselves this time', she thought in awe as she ran her hands down the brilliant red flames that hung off the sleeves. She quickly slid the garments on and swapped out her earrings, before going to redo her make up and hair. 

Barb was just putting on the finishing touches when there was a knock at her door. “Come in!”, she practically sang as she practiced her choreography for tonight's show.

Her door was opened with a violent kick as Riff and her main roadie, Sid Fret, staggered in with the heavy case that housed the Rock Trolls' most sacred artifact. Her ancestors had painstakingly handcrafted the guitar that would later hold their String while they were fleeing persecution at the hands of the Pop Trolls. It had been a long and deadly journey for many of the Rock Trolls, much of which was enshrined in various rock songs and ballads. The guitar had been finished just as they reached the wastelands they now called home.

Riff and Sid reverently laid the hard case on her messy bed and backed away as Barb cheerfully flung open the top. A fierce looking black electric guitar greeted her eager gaze. The body of the beautiful instrument looked like it had been carved from pure obsidian with an inlay that glowed like bright orange fire. The bridge was a large metal skull that opened when the Rock Queen took the Pop String out of her pocket. The skull's glowing eyes burned brighter as if the instrument was alive and was excited for the event that was to come.

Barb hesitated, feeling like this was wrong somehow, as the String gave out a burst of cheerful music.  
Her indecision lasted for a moment until she noticed that Riff was giving her a strange look from under his hat. Giving herself a mental shake, she fed the String into the skull's mouth and tried to ignore the Strings cry of sorrow as the magic strung it and the bright pink darkened to a red.

Picking up the surprisingly heavy instrument, Barb lovingly ran her fingers over the reunited strings, careful not to cause them to vibrate. She couldn't wait to play the ultimate power cord. She gave Riff and Sid a dazzling smile before striking an awesome pose. “Let's get ready to rock!”, she screamed happily.

OOO

Barb took a deep breath as she nervously played with her spiked microphone and waited for her cue. The opening act had just finished their last song, which meant that her roadies should be quickly getting the stage ready for her. The Rock Queen viciously pushed down the butterflies in her stomach that were threatening to make her puke up what little food she's managed to force down. Although she had preformed in hundreds of concerts before, she still got nervous before each one. It didn't help that this was the most important concert of her life. After tonight, everything would change.

With a jolt, the jaw platform she was on began to lower her to the stage below. Taking one last deep breath, Barb bowed her head as she came into the view of the cheering crowd and held her hand up, giving the sign of the horns. 'This is it!', she thought excitedly as bounced off the platform with attitude and raised her hands as she posed for the crowd. Her people responded with deafening cheers and screams. It always filled her heart with joy when her people showed her that they loved her as much as she loved them.

Taking a brief moment to center herself, she took a deep breath and started to sing.

So this ain't the end, I saw you again, today  
I had to turn my heart away  
Smile like the sun, kisses for everyone  
And tales, it never fails 

The words flew effortlessly from her lips as she danced and posed for the roaring crowd. Barb felt lightheaded from the euphoric rush that singing and entertaining others always brought her. This is what she loved, what she had been born to do! She channeled all that emotion into her performance as she continued as her father's pyrotechnics went off around her.

You're lying so low in the weeds  
I bet you're gonna ambush me  
You'd have me down, down, down, down on my knees  
Now won't ya? Barracuda, oh 

She made sure to moan 'Barracuda' as seductively as she could, causing the Hard Rock Trolls to go ballistic. She knew they loved how hot and sexy she was and she loved to play it up for the crowds. What she didn't expect was that the other tribes of trolls, which had been forcibly made to attend the concert seemed to be loving it too.

Doubt slammed into her again almost causing her to stumble and lose her place in the song. Gritting her teeth, Barb forcefully pushed the uncomfortable thoughts out of her mind as a lava burst went off uncomfortably close.

Back over time we were all tryin' for free  
You met the porpoise and me  
No right, no wrong, you're sellin' a song, a name  
Whisper game

And if the real thing don't do the trick  
You better make up something quick  
You're gonna burn, burn, burn, burn to the wick  
Ooh, barracuda

Oh yeah!

Still having trouble maintaining her focus, Barb gestured to the band that she was ending the song early before it became a trainwreck. Her loyal crew didn't question her as they brought the music to a close with a truly epic flourish. Giving the audience a confident smile, Barb tossed her microphone to the side and waited for the crowd to calm down so she could address them. She was surprised when the applause went on for some time with even some of the Rockers crying at the beauty of her performance.

She signaled to her crew inside of the giant skull command center and with a bolt of lightning, the Hard Rock Guitar appeared before her and slowly lowered itself into her arms. She felt a thrill of power fill her as the instrument lent her it's strength, as if it knew that it was about to change destiny. Barb smiled widely, high on excitement and adrenaline and gestured to the captured leaders who had just been led onstage by her guards.

“Give it up for your former leaders!”, she shouted to the other tribes in the back. “Funk, Country, Techno, Classical, and finally-” The Rock Queen waited as the spotlight shined on Poppy from where she was imprisoned in one of the skull's teeth. “Pop!”

“Barb! Please don't do this!”, Poppy yelled as she stretched her hand out to the other troll. “There's still time to do the right thing!”

Barb felt cold as all of her doubts came rushing back, filling her mind with unpleasant thoughts. It suddenly became hard to breathe as the purple troll began to shake, unsure if she really was doing the right thing. A painful electrical shock shook her out of her downward spiral. Looking down at the Guitar in pain and surprise, she was spooked to see the skull seemingly staring back at her. It's glowering eyes judging her for her uncertainty and finding her deeply disappointing. 

“This isn't real!”, Barb muttered as she took a deep breath and she closed her pink eyes. Opening them back up slowly, she looked at the Guitar, which now appeared to be an insentient instrument once again. 

Inwardly shaking her head, the Queen of Rock flicked one of the strings, causing a hidden pick to shoot up from the instrument. Deftly catching it, she held it high for her people to see. “We're all going to live as one people again, and it's going to ROCK! Who wants to see something awesome!”, she cried out happily as she gave a group of kids at the front of the stage a huge smile. 

On a whim, Barb changed her mind and decided to start with Poppy. The purple female had been surprised with just how easy it had been to become friends with the Pop Troll. She just knew that once Poppy had become a part of Rock, their new friendship would become even more awesome and intense! Then with her friend at her side, they could share the joy of adding all the other trolls to their clan.

Barb gave Poppy a joyful smile as she began shredding on the Hard Rock Guitar in in increasingly impressive patterns, being careful to not actually hit the strings. Finally when the crowd seemed like they were going to riot from the sheer excitement, she raised her pick to play the Ultimate Power Cord. 

Suddenly, something hard hit her in the face. The Rock Queen gave a strangled cry of pain as she staggered backwards and blood gushed from her nose. The purple female instinctively clutched the instrument to herself so she wouldn't drop it and shook the object off of her face.

Filled with overwhelming rage, Barb screamed, bearing her teeth and looked for the thing that had the audacity to attack the Queen of Hard Rock. She was taken aback when she saw Branch, smirking and eyes blazing with deadly anger, from inside of a frilly hot air balloon made out of flowers. The purple female stumbled backwards in shock and fear as her attacker announced “I guess a giant comprehensive manual does come in handy!”

“Branch!”, Poppy cried out relieved as she stretched her hand out to the blue male. 

Barb face fell as she watched Branch eagerly make his way over to the Pop Queen. She shook her head slowly as she realized just how close the male troll was to taking away her friend and destroying all that she had worked for. A new surge of anger coursed through her and burned away all of the fear and indecision. Branch had taken so much from her already. 

“I'm not going to let you take her Branch!”, Barb hissed venomously as she aimed the Guitar at the Pop Queen and played the Ultimate Power Cord. The purple female was pushed backwards as a bolts of red and black lightning shot out of the instrument's headstock and crackled toward the pink troll who was looking on in horror. 

Suddenly Branch was in the way, soaking up the Hard Rock magic that had been meant for Poppy. Barb was blinded by the explosion that followed for a few seconds as she heard something fall with a loud thud that shook the entire stage. Surprised, she tried to make out what had happened. The male Pop troll was nowhere to be found, but in his place was a large rock.

Barb narrowed her eyes and slinked forward cautiously, as she tried to figure out why the object had appeared. She wasn't sure how the Ultimate Power Chord was supposed to change the other trolls in to Rock Trolls, but she hoped this was part of the process. She paused her approach when bright red cracks appeared in the dark rock and it suddenly split open to reveal a drastically changed Branch. 

The former Pop Troll's blue skin had faded into a light gray and was covered in various bitchin tattoos while his deep violet hair had darkened into a deep black. The large mass was styled into a classic mullet that went down to his ankles. The magic had even changed his clothing. Branch now wore tight black leather pants, a chain belt, studded leather cuffs, and various body piercings that glittered in the stage's lights.

Branch slowly turned to look at the crowd and shouted “ROCK ON!”, while giving the rocker salute.

“Sick! It totally worked!”, Barb cried out in joy. She had known it would of course, but she didn't realize just how well it would! The purple female watched as the other troll smiled at the audience as they roared their approval. She happily turned back to Poppy who was crying in her cell and readied herself to play the Chord again.

Suddenly a steely hand clamped on her wrist, stopping her. Barb snapped her head up in surprise and looked into the new Rock Branch's eerily glowing red eyes. A sense of wrongness emanated from him in powerful waves, making the her stomach heave as he smiled nastily and tightened his grip. Barbs wrist screamed in agony as she felt the bones grind together.

“Oh, it worked. I hope you like the new me.”, the new Rock Troll chuckled as he effortlessly plucked the Guitar from her hand and threw it across the stage. Jerking the stunned Rock Queen off of her feet, he crushed her to his chest and started to nuzzle her red mohawk.

Barb thrashed like a wild cat in his arms, trying to break free. Branch just clucked his tongue at her and squeezed her arms tighter, causing the bones to creak alarmingly. “Don't you see bitch? I'm so much stronger now. I'm never going to let you get away”, he taunted as he laughed at her. 

The Rock Queen gaped at him in horror as Branch began to forcibly dry hump her in front of every troll there. “Isn't this everything that you could have ever dreamed of? ”, he said cruelly before he savagely bit her ruined ear.

Barb screamed in pain and fear as she tried to push him away. “NO! Let go of me you freak! Let me go!” 

Rocker Branch backhanded the purple female away in disgust, causing her to fall and hit her head on the stage with a sickening crack. He laughed evilly as she lay there stunned. “What do you mean my little cum dumpster? Look at me. Don't you like what you've made? I'm all Rock baby and tonight I'm going to show you the Roll.”

Barb groaned as she tried desperately to get back to her feet. 'Come on!', she cursed her still healing body as it refused to cooperate. Feeling horribly dizzy, she managed to get to her hands and knees before looking up into the evil Rocker's glowing eyes. “No!”, she hissed furiously. “I don't know what went wrong, but you are no Rock Troll!”

Branch's dark aura flared causing the assembled trolls to panic and run. The miasma was so toxic that not even Barb's security team could push past in order to help her. In an instant, all of the assemble trolls were as far away as they could get, leaving Barb alone with the tainted Branch.

“Oh, so that's how it's going to be”, Branch snapped as his eyes burned brighter. He kicked the purple female hard in the stomach, causing her to briefly fly through the air and land with another sickening thump. He stalked over to her and wrapped his hair around her neck and lifted her in the air.

Barb weakly pulled at the strangling tresses, fighting flashbacks, as she looked at Branch in despair. 'I've failed my people', she thought distantly as the world started to dim. 'Poppy was right.'

Evil Branch shook her hard, trying to make sure she stayed conscious. “Well, I don't need your acceptance.”, he said frowning at the injured female. “ All I need is your body to squirt out my kids when I become King of the Hard Rock Trolls. But don't worry, I'll finish what you started. I actually have the balls to turn all the trolls into creatures just like me.”

Barb filled her lungs with all the air she could and shouted out a weak “Help!”

The gray troll stared at her in amazement and then began to laugh. “You want someone to help you?”, he managed to get out. Using his hair to turn her around, Barb saw that while everyone was watching with horror, no one seemed to be able to get past Branch's punishing aura of wrongness. Even her beloved friend Riff seemed pinned to his drum set, unable to even take a step forward.

“There's no one out there that cares about you enough to 'save you'!”, Evil Branch continued laughing.

Suddenly there was a loud crack that echoed through the stadium like a thunderclap. The gray troll spun around cursing and dropped Barb to the ground. The purple female weakly rolled away and woozily sat up, coughing harshly as she forced air down her re-bruising throat. She stared in confusion at the pink troll that stood protectively in front of her.

“I care.” Poppy said defiantly as she held up the broken drumstick in her hand.

The gray troll roared angrily as he rubbed the back of his head. “What the hell bitch!”

“I won't let you hurt my friend, Branch!.”, she growled back as she tossed the now useless weapon aside and ran to the other queen. 

“Uh-uh-uhh!”, the former Pop Troll said smugly, waving his finger at the Pop Queen. “Branch is dead. It's Spruce now”.

The Pop Queen gave her former friend a horrified look as she helped the other female to her feet.

“I'm so so sorry Poppy!”, Barb cried to the Pop Queen as she tried to fight back tears. “You were right and I didn't know! I-” 

The purple female paused as Poppy smiled and held a finger to her mouth. “It's okay Barb. I forgive you. You couldn't have known that this-”, the pink troll waved her hand at Branch who was glowering at them silently. “Was going to happen.”

Spruce, annoyed at being ignored, roared animalistically at the two female trolls and took a threatening step forward, causing them to dash across the stage. “I'd stay out of this if I were you Poppy. If you haven't noticed, I don't need you anymore. Barb is a far better fuck than your prude ass could ever be.”

Poppy froze, causing Barb to run into her as she gaped at the gray troll in horror. “Branch..!”, she cried out softly she looked back at her friend, deeply hurt. Barb also looked at the male troll in horror, silently begging him to not announce what he'd done to her.

Spruce smiled nastily as his verbal attacks hit their marks. “Does the truth hurt Poppy? What do you think Barb? Do you think you were a better fuck than Poppy would be? How about you girls come over here so we can find out”

The Pop Queen whimpered as if she'd been physically injured, while Barb saw the former Pop troll's distraction for what it was. “Move!”, she yelled as she grabbed Poppy's hand and pulled her into a stumbling run. Branch's hair slammed down hard where they had been standing, the black tresses barely missing them.

“Don't listen to him!”, Barb shouted at the pink troll as they ran to the back of the stage. “That asshole is obviously fucked in the head!”

Poppy instantly brightened, like the sun coming out from behind storm clouds. “You're right!”, she said smiling at the purple female in relief. “Whatever that thing is, he's no longer Branch! We have to turn him back to normal!”

“How?”, Barb asked, as she warily watched Spruce slowly approach, trying to find them in the disorganized mess. “I mean, I can try beating him unconscious with one my guitars!”

“Guitars”, Poppy said loudly, as she looked down, deep in thought.

Barb gave her an annoyed look as she started to sift through the spare instruments, looking for the one that would make the best weapon. “Keep it to a dull roar, Pop-tart, or that psycho's gonna find us.”, she whispered harshly.

“You two have no idea what this body feels like!”, Branch yelled as he started to look for them, fortunately in the wrong area. “The power I have now!”

“Barb!”, Poppy suddenly shouted as she grabbed the Rock Queen's arm, causing her to knock over a pile of sheet music. “We have to destroy the guitar. Your guitar! You know, the one with our Strings!”

Barb looked at the other troll in horror. “But if we destroy my guitar, we'd destroy our Strings. We'd destroy our music.”

Poppy grabbed both of Barb's hands and held them in hers as she looked the other female in the eye. “We don't have a choice!”, the Pop Queen exclaimed. “We need to change Branch back! If he gets his hands on that guitar, he could change all the other trolls and then there would be no stopping him!”

“You make a good point.”, Spruce smirked as he emerged from the shadows.

Barb gave a groan as she face-palmed. “Really Pop-squeak? Do you any other plans you want to yell out to the enemy?”, she said wryly as Poppy stared opened mouthed at Spruce in horror.

“What I should be doing is making more of my kind, not playing hide and seek with two little girls. Thank you Poppy for being so very very helpful.”, he said cheerfully as he gave the Pop Queen a mocking bow.

Then the corrupted troll started to run with an unnatural speed back toward the stage. Poppy quickly grew her hair out and barely managed to snag his ankle, causing him to fall. Barb watched in amazement as the pink troll quickly wrapped her hair around the male's body and fought to keep him inside.

“Go!”, Poppy manage to grunt as she gave everything she had to keeping Spruce immobile. 

The male troll was thrashing and screaming the horrible things he planned to do to them once he broke free. Barb hesitated, not wanting to leave her new friend in such danger, but there wasn't much she could do to help. Rock Troll hair didn't have the strength and versatility that Pop Troll hair did, limiting them to only using it to hold small objects or create elaborate glam rock hairstyles.

“GO!”, the Pop Queen screamed again as Branch started to rip her pink hair apart.

With one last agonizing look, Barb ran stumbling back onto the main stage, where the various tribes of trolls were milling about in fear. She knitted her brows in confusion when the guitar wasn't where she had remembered it landing. “No!”, she cried out numbly as she fell to her hands and knees, trying to find the instrument. “Come on! It has to be here!” Looking around desperately, the Rock Queen finally noticed a red glow at the front on the stage, almost hidden by the bright lights.

Quickly scrambling to her feet, Barb ran to the instrument and reverently picked it up and looked at it sadly. The Guitar seemed glad to see her, singing out a simple riff in greeting. Lovingly running her fingers over the Strings one last time, Barb got ready to destroy Music itself. She rose the guitar over her head, her body shaking so hard that she barely managing not to drop it. 'I can't do this!', she thought wildly to herself as she tried to will herself to complete her task. 

Just then, Spruce exited from backstage with Poppy captive in his hair. The pink troll looked the worse for wear, with razor thin cuts on her face and her hair frizzy and torn. Barb gasped in horror as the gray male smiled, showing pointed teeth and waggled a finger at her.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you. Why don't you be a good whore and put the Guitar down. You wouldn't want your little friend to get hurt.”, he said slyly. 

To Barb, it seemed like the offer hung in the air like a living thing; Save Poppy's life at the cost of all the other trolls, or saving their race and letting Poppy die. Chest heaving, Barb felt like a puffalo caught in the headlights of a catterbus as she desperately tried to find a way to have both.

Suddenly Poppy opened her eyes and their gazes met. It was like they truly understood each other, what they were going though, and what they had to do. They were both Queens and that meant doing whatever was necessary to protect their people, even at the cost of their own lives. The two females smiled lovingly at each other before Barb turned her burning gaze back to the monster she had created.

“Go to Hell.”, the Queen of Hard Rock snarled as she lifted the Guitar above her head and slammed it down on the stage with all of her strength. 

The world exploded. 

Barb fought to keep her footing as gusts of wind threatened to tear her from the stage. Colors whirled and spun around her in shades that she knew and many that she didn't. The noise was deafening as music of all kinds screamed out in pain as they died. Suddenly it all reversed and Barb was thrown onto the remnants of the instruments and the withering strings. Frantically, Barb picked them up and help them to her chest, hoping to somehow keep them alive.

With a sudden finality the wind and sounds stopped, leaving total silence behind. All colors were gone, leaving everything and everyone in shades of nothingness. No one spoke, as if just one sound would drive home what every troll now knew in their hearts. All their beloved music was gone.

Barb carefully opened her hands, desperately hoping that at least part of the Strings had survived. “No! Our Stings!”, she cried out heartbrokenly as she watched the last bits of the colorful Strings dissolved into nothingness. She felt violently ill at the magnitude of what she'd done dawned on her. “What have I done? I've destroyed music!” 

The Rock Queen collapsed to the ground and started to cry as a great emptiness opened up inside of her. Music had been her passion, her life! Now that it was gone, it felt like she had nothing left. She could feel the other trolls of every tribe grieving along with her. Barb gave a little sobbing laugh at the cruel irony of it all. She had finished what she had set out to do after all. She had managed to unite all the trolls in despair and grief.

She was so lost in her anguish that she didn't notice that the other leaders had surrounded her until King Quincy, the leader of the Funk Trolls shoved his head in her face and angrily hissed, “What have you done!”

Barb threw herself backwards in surprise as she stared up at the large quadruped in fear. Barb felt faint as she tried to scramble to her feet. King Quincy had been a beast to take down and to load into their prison transports. He was a ferocious fighter that had put quite a few of her Rockers out of commission. She was not a match for him on a good day and this by far wasn't one of her good days.

Still feeling dizzy, she had only managed to get to her feet when she was knocked back down on the stage floor by a vicious kick to the back. The purple female tried to scrabble away, as Delta Dawn, leader of the centar-like Country trolls surged forward, trying to land more blows on the younger Queen's body. “She's destroyed music, that's what she's done!”, she sneered angrily as watched Barb climb to her feet with disdain. “What? Was destroying our homes not good enough for you?”

“I-I-”, Barb stammered as she tried to apologize, only to feel something slam into her, knocking her back ground again. Rather than trying to get back to her feet, Barb curled into a ball and tried to protect her head and neck the best she could as the furious leaders swore at her and kicked and tore at her with grasping hands.

She couldn't help but cry as the pain became overwhelming. All she could hear was the blood rushing in her ears and the terrible words that ripped into her very soul. 'It's what I deserve after all that I've done', she thought dully as felt one of her ribs give with an audible snap. The Rock Queen closed her eyes in acceptance when a bright clear voice cut through the sounds of violence.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! STOP!”

Barb stiffly jerked her head up at Poppy's shout as the other leaders moved slowly away. The Pop Queen ran over to her and laid her hand on Barb's bleeding back. Branch, back to normal, reluctantly followed her so he could stay by her side. She shied away from his cold gaze and focused instead on Poppy, who has looking at her intently.

The Rock Queen had difficulty meeting the searching pink eyes as the shame of what she'd put Poppy through hit her. She'd hurt the formerly pink troll the most. She hadn't listen to Poppy when the other troll had tried to help her, she'd turned that asshole, Branch, into a monster, and had almost gotten Poppy killed. 

'And of course, let's not forget the 'destroyed all music' part'', Barb thought guiltily as she tried to calm her breathing before she hyperventilated. She wasn't sure what Poppy was looking for, but it terrified her that the other queen would find her wanting, just like the others had.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Poppy gave her a tearful sweet smile and held out and held her hand. Barb stared at it uncomprehendingly for a moment before looking at Poppy in amazement. The Rock Queen couldn't wrap her head around it. How could anyone, especially Poppy, could forgive her for what she'd done. The other female waited patently, as all eyes were on them, waiting to see what Barb would do next. 

Licking her bloodied lips nervously, Barb held out a shaking hand, waiting for Poppy to come to her senses and slap it away. The other troll's smile widened as she grasped the Rock troll's wrist and helped her painfully to her feet. Lost in her grief, she startled when she felt a gentle hand lovingly stroke her now gray mohawk. Jerkily looking up, she watched Poppy give her another tearful smile and pull her into a hug.

Looking at the other leaders, the formerly pink troll lifted her head confidently. “Look, I know that your angry, but hurting Barb isn't going to help anything! I know she understands what she did was wrong and as her friend, I will help her fix this.”

As one, the other leaders looked at Barb skeptically, waiting to see what she would say.

Taking a painful shallow breath, Barb stood up as straight as she could as she looked each leader in the eye. “Look guys, I um, I know that I royally fucked up. I mean I thought I was doing the right thing, but all I did was hurt people, and make monsters, and um you know. Destroy all music.” The Rock Queen sighed as she looked down at her feet and then back up. “I know I can't fix this, but I wanna try.”

The five other leaders just silently stood there watching Barb with suspicion and hate. Barb looked back down at the floor as misery overwhelmed her once again. 'Of course they don't believe me', she thought dully to herself. 'Why should they?'

A new sound broke the silence. 

Confused Barb moved a little ways from Poppy as she tried to locate the source of the sound. Awestruck, she realized that one of the Funk princes had found her discarded microphone and was holding it up to his chest. The other prince quickly joined in, beat-boxing to his brother's heartbeat, which created a simplistic primal music.

'That's..!', Barb thought as she felt hope starting to bubble up from deep within her. She looked around slowly to see that all the other trolls were as moved as she was.

“That's my sons! Making music! Queen Barb can't take away something that's inside us, because that's where music really comes from”, Queen Essence of the Funk trolls said proudly as she pushed past Barb with enough force to almost knock her off her feet.

“It started with the Strings, but now it comes from us.”, King Quincy, agreed as he followed behind his wife. He glared threateningly at Barb as he passed, his expression speaking volumes about what he wanted to do to the young Queen. 

Barb recoiled violently at his gaze and painfully scrambled out of the way as the other leaders, included Poppy, moved to surround the Funk princes. Delta Dawn suddenly began to clap and tap out a rhythm with her hooves, adding more complexity to the simple song. The assembled trolls in the audience eagerly began to repeat the rhythm at first, but then to experiment and add even more complexity to the song, making it richer.

The Rock Queen quietly backed away into the shadows, knowing full well that she wasn't welcome and watched in amazement as all the different tribes of trolls put aside their differences and helped each other make music. The sound was joyful as it rose and fell, finally rising to a crescendo as it reached it's conclusion. The silence at the end was deafening, but not in a way that it had been before. It almost felt as if it were waiting in anticipation for the next sound. 

Awestruck, she watched as all of the singing troll's hearts started glowing in a rainbow of colors that seemed to push the nothingness around them away. Confused and a little afraid, Barb opened herself up for the first time since she had become Queen and listened as the other leaders talked among themselves.

“Yeah! It comes from our experiences!”, King Trollex, the leader of the aquatic Techno trolls was saying as he swam through the air excitedly.

“Our lives!”, added Delta Dawn with a wide smile.

“Our culture”, Queen Essence said serenely as she beamed at her sons who had run onto the stage to join her and their father.

“Beautiful”, Trollzart agreed as he fluttered over their heads.

The Queen of Rock could only stand there opened mouthed as their wise words finally helped her see why her dream had been so wrong. She had thought that by forcing all the different kinds of trolls to be the same, she would finally rid the tribes of the intolerance and hatred that had kept them apart. But by trying to destroy their voices and individuality, she had become the embodiment of the very forces she had been trying to save the troll nations from. 

“What have I done?”, she whispered brokenly as the enormity of what she been trying to do hit her full force. Barb staggered backwards drunkenly as the pure adrenaline she had been running on abruptly left her body. In it's place all she was left with was a crushing sense of guilt, sheer exhaustion, and a whole lot of pain. It took all of Barb's strength to stand as she suddenly felt cold and started to shake. Just when if felt like she was about to fall into the screaming abyss of her own mind, the Techno trolls started to sing.

It wasn't anything elaborate. In fact, the simple melody sounded very much like the Techno music that Barb had cruelly dismissed as “Beeps and boops”. She watched as the song spread from the fish-like trolls to all of the other tribes in the audience until they were all singing the same song. Open mouthed, Barb listened, truly listened and she began to see and hear the music in a new light. It wasn't awesome like how Rock was awesome, but it was beautiful in a different way. A way that Barb had never thought about before.

“Listen to that!”, Poppy said in amazement, as she looked at the leaders around her. “No one can take our music away! Not when it's inside of us!

As Poppy met Barb's eyes, the Rock Queen released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She watched as Poppy took a deep breath, visibly steeling herself and attempted to sing.

“Let me, hear you sing!”, Poppy sang, the words struggling to come out, to exist in the empty and colorless world around them. Undeterred, the Pop Queen licked her lips and continued. “Sing it together. Louder than ever. Forget everything, just sing!

Suddenly Poppy regained her color, surprising everyone around her. Barb could only stand there watching numbly as Branch approached the now pink troll, singing and also regained his color. A keyboard suddenly cut through the silence, lending its support to the two singers. Recognizing the playing, Barb turned around and to her relief saw her dad playing the instrument like he had before old age had clouded his mind.

“Dad?”, she called out, the single word filled with a million questions.

Thrash looked at her kindly, his heart beating a bright red as he as he regained his colors with a magical sparkle. “It's alright, Barbara. Just let everyone be what they want to be. Including you.” 

The kind words hit her like a punch to the gut. All she had wanted to be was a strong leader like her father. If what her father said was right, then she had gone about it the wrong way. If she had been trying to force herself to a mold that didn't fit her, then who was she? What kind of queen did she want to be?

Pushing aside the torrent of questions that threatened to drown her, Barb forced her attention back to Poppy, who was now singing and dancing with the other leaders who had also regained their colors. She shook her head slowly as she tried to focus as the world whirled and dipped around her alarmingly.

She watched as Poppy skipped back to her, still singing and grabbed her icy hand. The Pop Queen looked down startled for an instant before she dragged Barb to the front of the stage and gave her one of her band's guitars. Barb looked down at the guitar and her gray self and then back at the crowd who eagerly waited for her to join in the celebration.

Barb drew on what little strength she had left inside and then started to jam, belting out some of the best guitar riffs she had ever played. She could feel Poppy's gaze on her as the music filled her body with the joy and happiness that she was sure she'd never feel again. 

As she began to scream out lyrics to a song she didn't even know, the Queen of Rock could feel when her colors returned with an almost orgasmic tingle. The music seemed to lift her up as if to show her its forgiveness and then suddenly her hair was growing. A giant mohawk mainly consisting of red and black hair with an assortment of rainbow colors appeared on her head.

The music was changing Poppy as well, lifting her up into the sky, changing not just her hair, but also her clothing into a dazzling array of rainbows. Barb was surprised when Poppy ran back over to her and held out her hand. The Rock Queen hesitated for just an instant before she happily grabbed her friend's hand in return. Poppy lifted them into the air, showing the now mingling tribes that she had been forgiven.

Suddenly hearts of color burst from their chests, shooting outward as it brought color back into all the trolls and the land around them. Barb continued singing as her heart swelled with relief and joy as she watched the now colorful trolls sing and dance. 'I can't believe that I fixed it!', she thought before hastily correcting herself. 'WE fixed this!'

Barb looked over at Poppy with love and adoration. “You rock!”, she shouted putting all her feelings into the two words.

Poppy looked over to her and gave a huge smile. “No, you rock!”, she giggled before gently ruffling Barb's massive colored mohawk. “Looks good! I hope you keep it.”

The Rock Queen blushed as she vaguely waved at Poppy's whole body. “Um...you look great too”, she said while mentally kicking herself for sounding so lame. “Um..Poppy...about what happened...”

The pink troll's smile deepened as she gave Barb a hard hug, nearly damaging her borrowed guitar. The Rock Queen sighed brokenly and hugged her back, accepting the forgiveness that Poppy was offering. She didn't understand how the other queen could forgive so easily, but vowed that she would try to be more that way herself. Hating was exhausting but this forgiving thing made her feel as if she could fly.

Finally the two females broke apart and Poppy took Barb's hands in hers. “I hope you still want to be friends after this.”, the pink troll said earnestly.

Barb looked at Poppy as if she'd grown another head. 'Is she a moron?', she thought incredulously, but managed to say “Are you kidding?! YES!” instead. She was fairly certain that friends didn't normally call their friends morons.

Tackling her friend in a crushing hug, Barb looked around for someone to share her joy with. Seeing her friend Carol, a muddy blue rock troll with black hair, she called out. “Do you hear that Carol! We have a girl group now!”

Carol looked the two trolls up and down with her lip curled in disgust before giving Barb the middle finger. “Fuck off, losers.”, she said walked away with a dismissive shake of her head.

Barb's smile fell as the other walked off, effectively killing her buzz and allowing all of her misery to come rushing back. Carol had always treated her like this since they were little kids. The purple female had thought that was just how friends treated each other, or at least her. But after making friends with Poppy, she wasn't so sure.

Poppy looked at the blue troll in shock and dismay as she gently rubbed the Rock Queen's back. “Maybe she's just still getting used to having her colors back?”, the pink troll said hopefully. They stood there in friendly silence for a few seconds before Branch saw them.

He bared his teeth at Barb threateningly and gave her a freezing glare, his eye promising violence and pain as he walked up from behind Poppy. The purple female jerked back in alarm, almost causing her to fall as he reached them. Poppy looked at her in concern and turned around to see what was wrong when she saw the male Pop Troll. Squealing, she threw herself into his arms. Branch laughed and hugged the Pop Queen close and nuzzled her hair before he shot Barb a look that clearly said, “Fuck off”. 

Heeding his warning, Barb stumbled to the back of the stage as darkness started to eat at her vision. Knowing full well what that meant from long days on the road, the Rock Queen look around wildly for a friendly face before she face planted on the stage. Suddenly, she bounced off a fuzzy purple wall that just appeared in front of her. Staring at it confused, Barb looked up and met the gaze of the furious Funk King.

“There you are, little miss World-Destroyer”, he crooned as he gave her a cruel smile. “We were just looking for you”

Barb cocked her head confused as his words fizzed around in her brain. She knew that should be able to understand them, but in her exhaustion and pain, couldn't make herself remember how. She tried to focus as a blue glowing face thrust itself into hers.

“So what are we going to do with her?”, she heard King Trollex distantly say. Was that important?

“I have some rope in my hair” called out an angry female voice from behind her.

Someone gave her a shove and Barb let herself fall, not even having the energy to try and cushion her fall. The last thing she remembered was cruel laughter before soft black darkness took her in its arms and finally made all the pain and anguish go away.


	4. Closer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barb has just been allowed out of the hospital. Little does she know that Branch has been waiting for her impatiently

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains rape and violence. No direct mentions of suicide and depression, but if you read between the lines, Barb is fighting them with all that she's got. 
> 
> I have taken some of the shiny kid-friendly veneer off of the Troll world in this story. Actions have consequences such as loosing a war. No amount of singing and rainbows is going to make that go away.

You let me violate you, you let me desecrate you  
You let me penetrate you, you let me complicate you 

Help me, I broke apart my insides  
Help me, I've got no soul to sell  
Help me, the only thing that works for me  
Help me, get away from myself

I wanna fuck you like an animal  
I wanna feel you from the inside  
I wanna fuck you like an animal  
My whole existence is flawed  
You get me closer to God  
~ Closer (Nine Inch Nails)

Being Queen normally was a lot of fun. Playing music and singing, two of the things Barb loved the most, were literally part of her job. She got to put on concerts, settle feuds with 'battle of the bands' style contests, and make decisions that helped her people to not just live, but to thrive. But there was one horror, one terrifying evil, that no King or Queen worthy of the name could avoid.

Barb groaned and thunked her head down on her metal and leather desk as Riff slammed yet another pile of paperwork in front of her. 

“Ow”, she said wearily as the impact jarred her still healing brain.

The Rock Queen normally avoided her office like the plague. She vastly preferred reading and signing documents while riding her tour bus or between sets when she was preforming. Pretty much anywhere but the dull room where she had been imprisoned for the last four days. But desperate times called for desperate measures.

Her office wasn't that bad, or at least it hadn't been. It contained all the boring things you'd expect an office to have, such as her desk, water cooler, filing cabinets, and various chairs. But it also had contained a wicked drum kit and several classic electric guitars that she loved to jam on when she was forced to work there. Unfortunately her advisors had taken them away after the second day to force her to pay more attention to her work. 

The large room also had an outer reception area which was great for keeping out the thousands of foreign trolls who wanted to see the defeated Queen. Riff had taken it upon himself to become her personal secretary and nurse. He happily kept the rabble out, cared for her, and constantly brought in new stacks of documents for her to go through and whisked away the ones that she had embroidered her name on. Normally she would have been pissed that her friend thought she was too weak to take care of things herself. But now she loved having Riff with her and got a thrill at just seeing his kind face. She wasn't sure when her feelings toward her childhood friend had changed, but even she had to admit that they had.

Continuing to ignore the stack of felt, Barb let her mind wander back to the concert two weeks ago when everything in her life had changed. What had supposed to have been her grand uniting of the tribes had turned into a total shit show in the blink of an eye. Memories of the monster she had created now joined Branch Classic in her nightmares that caused her to wake up screaming and covered in sweat. The only bright spot in this entire mess was Poppy and their newly formed friendship.

The purple female grunted as memories she'd rather not have came flooding back with a vengeance. The memories of her waking up in the hospital after she'd fainted were still horrifically vivid. She remembered people yelling, of suddenly being cold as her clothes were cut from her body. Memories of lights being shined in her eyes, of her feet being placed in stirrups, and the sharp pain as a metal speculum was jammed into her still swollen vaginal canal. Worst of all, she could still see the looks of sympathy and pity in all of those eyes every time she went to sleep.

Her list of injuries was pretty epic. A double concussion (SIS), two broken ribs, severe vaginal tearing, fractures of the ulna and radius in both arms and severe bruising of her trachea, stomach, liver, and kidneys. Of course, that wasn't counting the various cuts, gashes, and bruises that she was sporting on the outside. In a way, Barb was kind of proud that she had been able to take that much damage before her body gave her the big 'fuck you' and just gave up.

Unfortunately, that meant Barb had had to miss the various negotiations that the troll nations had held after her disastrous concert. It still pissed her off that she hadn't been able to represent her people, but even she had to admit that she hadn't been in any shape to do much of anything. Fortunately, the magic that had brought back their colors had also temporarily healed her father's dementia just long enough for him to represent their people in her stead. 

Her heart had swelled with pride after Riff had visited her in the hospital and told her about what had happened. How the rest of the tribes had been furious and had wanted to punish the Rock Troll nation as harshly as possible and how King Thrash had fought fiercely to protect her and their people. Together with Riff's mom, who had been one of his royal advisors, they had used all their cunning and experience to hammer out the best possible terms for their nation. They weren't great terms, but they were a lot better than they could have been.

Unfortunately the magic hadn't lasted long after that, leaving Barb with all the massive paperwork, including finding funds for war reparations, sending materials and work crews to help rebuild the cities they'd burned, and settling debts owed to the various individuals that lived in those kingdoms. It was all she'd been doing since they'd let her out of the hospital and from the looks of things, what she'd be doing for the rest of her life.

A burning stab of pain jolted Barb out of her morose thoughts and told her that it was time for her medications. Sighing heavily, she resignedly pulled open the drawer where she kept them and grabbed the handful of pills from one of Riff's premeasured packets. Stuffing them all into her mouth at once, she carefully measured out the magical healing potion and used the vile liquid to wash the whole mess down. Grimacing in disgust, Barb downed the glass of water on her desk and wished for the millionth time that it was a shot of vodka instead. The purple female didn't usually drink, but if there was ever a good time for alcohol, then this had to be it.

Barb growled angrily as Riff came back into her office and slammed another stack of paperwork on top of the one she'd been studiously ignoring. “Seriously, man?”, she whined at her friend in annoyance.

“Did you measure out your potion this time?”, the gray male asked sharply, ignoring the angry female as his red eyes watched her closely from under his black stocking cap..

“Yes, Mommy”, Barb snapped sarcastically as she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms defensively.

So she had accidentally overdosed on her magical elixir once or twice. Or four times. What mattered was that she needed to get back on her feet as soon as possible. Troubling reports had already started to trickle in. Rock Trolls were being attacked in broad daylight, where the only witnesses were foreign trolls who swore they hadn't see a thing. Food shipments meant for the outer cities were disappearing without a trace and homes were being broken in to and looted. 

She knew that while a lot of trolls had forgiven her people for what she'd done, there were still many who were royally pissed.. The Rock Queen understood anger and outrage, it was something that Rock Trolls had been channeling into their music for generations. But she couldn't allow the other nations to lash out at her people like this, not when they hadn't been responsible for what had happened. If they needed their pound of flesh, she's have to make sure they took it from the one troll who deserved it.

Barb gasped and flailed about in panic as Riff gently laid his hand on her arm. Growling, she glared up at the gray male who was looking at her with worry.

“You okay Barb?”, he asked with genuine concern. “You kinda faded out there for a few minutes.”

The purple female's irritation immediately gave way to affection as she gave her childhood friend a sweet smile. It was all too easy to forget that she had trolls that loved her during dark times like these. She gently rubbed her face on his hand in a rare expression of vulnerability, before gently pushing him away. “Yeah, man.”, she said kindly as Riff smiled back. “Just got a lot on my mind.”

“What you gotta do is not think about stuff so much. I mean, look at me! I never think about anything”, the gray male said in a completely deadpan voice. He smiled as Barb started to laugh. “See! When you stopped thinking, I got you to laugh!”

“I'm laughing because you're such a doofus”, Barb giggled as she clutched her aching ribs. “Ouch! Stopping now!”

“Well, I'm still calling it a win”, Riff announced as he piled more documents on to the groaning desk.

Barb looked at the additional paperwork in horror. “Come on! Please tell me that this is the last of it!”

Her friend looked away for a second before giving her a sheepish look. “I can if you order me to tell you that I guess.”

The purple troll sighed again and carefully laid her head back down on the desk, cradled in her arms. “Would it make this all go away?”, she asked wearily as she wiggled her fingers at the offensive stack of felt.

“Um, no?”, came the expected reply.

The thought of reading one more document made Barb's head start to throb. “Fuck this”, she mumbled into the desk. “We're done for the day. Go home Riff. Tell your mom and billions of siblings 'hi' for me.”

“First of all, I have ten siblings, and are you sure that you'll be okay? The doctor says you're still healing and stuff and I'm not really supposed to leave you alone”, Riff said with concern.

Barb made a shooing motion with her hand, not looking up. “Go home man. Don't make me kick your ass.”

The Rock Queen didn't even need to look up to know that her friend was wringing his hands nervously as he tried to decide whether it was worth arguing with her or not. He had been working even longer hours than she had on top of helping his mom take care of their large family. If any troll deserved deserved some time off, it was Riff.

“Okay Barb. If you're sure or whatever.”, he said reluctantly as he gently squeezed her should.

She waited until he had gently shut the dark wooden door to her office before she let out a shaking sob and started to cry. She hated that she was so weak and she hated that she'd let her people down. Two weeks ago, she had been the leader of a mighty nation filled with brave strong trolls and righteously awesome music. Now here she was weeping like a little girl while the five other tribes tormented her people and tore her nation apart. No matter what she did, the hits kept on coming, and all she could do was patch herself back together as best she could and help her people weather the storm. She just hoped what she had left was enough.

Finally, Barb cried herself out, strangely feeling just a little bit better. She didn't know how, but the tears seemed to heal some of the bleeding wounds inside of her heart. Exhausted, she closed her eyes and dozed in the waning light, almost missing the sound of her door opening. 

“God Riff, just go home already! I swear if that's more paperwork, I'm gonna shove it so far up your ass that'll you'll be puking felt for a week!”, the Rock Queen snapped wearily, not bothering to lift her head.

“I'm afraid Riff isn't here”, said a voice straight from her nightmares.

Barb's pink eyes flew open as she jerked upright, causing her to lose her balance and fall over backwards in her chair. Crying out in agony from the impact, the purple female painfully climbed to her feet and looked at Branch in horror. The blue Pop Troll was dressed in Rocker clothing and was leaning against the door with his arms crossed with an amused smile on his face as he watched her panic.

Ruthlessly squashing down her fear, she channeled all the rage she could muster and bared her teeth at him threateningly. “Get the fuck out of here, you bastard!”, she spat as she quickly thought about what she could use as a weapon. 

“Is that any way to greet to your lover?”, Branch smirked, his blue eyes bright with lust. Without breaking eye contact, he carefully closed and locked the door.

“You're NOT my lover!”, she hissed venomously, puffing up her bright red hair until she looked like an angry cat.

“Oh, I beg to differ”, Branch laughed as he started to saunter over. He flashed her a smile as he began to undress the Rock Queen with his eyes. “Are you really going to tell me that you didn't enjoy our last fuck? I remember making you come hard on my throbbing dick and holding you while we kissed.”

Barb felt the blood drain from her face as she stared dumbfounded at Branch. “You fucking beat and raped me you asshole! I didn't want any of that!”

“Really? Because that's not the way I remember it.”, the blue troll laughed as he slowly and methodically backed Barb into a corner. 

“Get the fuck away from me! I'm not afraid of you!”, the Rock Queen snarled defensively as her memories and nightmares started to overwhelm her. Suddenly she was back in that twice-damned field with his hair around her neck, squeezing hard enough to almost make her black out while he ripped her open inside. Gritting her teeth, Barb managed to push the memory away.

The smile vanished from Branch's face as if it had never been. He narrowed his eyes at the Rock Queen and bared his own teeth, the deepening shadows and the eerie red light from the lava outside making him appear almost demonic. “You should be.”, he said icily before he lunged at her. 

Barb punched him in the face as hard as she could, making the Pop Troll stumble backwards. She let out a strangled scream as her arm exploded in agony. 'Fuck! Not as healed as I thought!', she thought wildly to herself.

“You bitch!”, Branch screeched as he clutched his nose and glared at her hatefully.

Realizing that she had no way to defend herself, Barb held her throbbing arm to her chest and started to stumble to the door, her ragged breath unnaturally loud in her ears. Just as her hand brushed the knob, she felt the now familiar dark violet hair wrap around her ankle and pull her feet out from under her. She fell hard on her stomach, sending sharp stabs of agony through out her body. The purple female clutched her abdomen and rolled up into a fetal position as she tried to ride through the pain.

“Motherfucking cheater!”, she croaked breathlessly as he effortlessly pulled her back to where he was standing.

“All's fair in love and war”, Branch chuckled as he knelt down and caressed her shredded ear almost lovingly.

Barb snapped her head around and lunged at him, her teeth missing his fingers by just a hair. Branch frowned angrily, his icy blue eyes meeting the Rock Queen's bright pink ones for just a moment before he backhanded her hard in the face.

“Nuh-uh! No biting”, he hissed as he darted his head down and bit into the ear he had been obsessing over moments before.

Barb screamed loudly as he ground down hard, teeth crushing and cutting until she could feel blood trickling down her neck. She tried to use her feet to push him off, but things weren't moving quite right, like she was swimming in a jar of honey. Branch easily brushed aside her weak attempts to break free and continued his assault on her ear.

Finally, the Pop Troll let go and then his hands were all over her, tearing at her black band T-shirt and leather pants, in an effort to get them off. Barb tried to fight the male off with the limb that wasn't a throbbing pillar of torment, to no avail. Lying naked and shivering on her own office floor, she was suddenly thrown back in time once again to when her nightmare first began.

'NO!', she screamed inside her head as she fought hard to keep memory separate from what was happening now. 'Not again! Please, not again!'

Suddenly, he was on top of her, the warmth of his nude body a startling contrast to her icy cold one. Barb gasped and fought down the urge to vomit as his heavy weight put pressure on her aching abdomen. She hissed and tried to claw at his eyes with her good hand, but Branch easily caught her arm and pinned it above her head. All the Rock Queen could do was struggle as she felt his hardened cock jam hard against her pussy as the Pop Troll eagerly demanded entrance into her body.

Barb's thoughts raced as she tried to come up with something she could do to fight Branch off, but before she could come up with anything, she heard the doors to the reception area of her office open. Both trolls froze as two sets of footsteps walked around the small outer room. A screech of springs told the Rock Queen that one of them had sat in Riff's chair.

“I dunno Queen Poppy”, she heard Riff say, his voice muffled by the door. “No one saw her leave.”

“Maybe she's in her office?”,came Poppy's hopeful voice. 

Barb's heart pounded as she listened as two of the most important people in her life stood just outside the door and talked. A part of her wanted to scream, for them to come rushing in and save her from this nightmare, but the thought of Riff seeing her naked on the floor while Branch mounted her made her recoil in horror. The Pop Troll tightened his grip on her injured arm in warning, breaking her out of her downward spiral, as someone rattled the carved obsidian doorknob. 

“Nah”, Riff said to the Pop Queen. “She only locks her door when she leaves.”

“Then can I talk to you about Barb?”, Poppy asked the gray male hopefully. “I know you two are good friends.”

Barb's heart leaped with joy as Riff cheerfully announced, “We sure are! I've known her since we were little kids. If you want any embarrassing stories or whatever, I'm your guy!

Poppy laughed, the musical sound pushing the darkness back for an instant. “Maybe some other time! Riff, I've been a such bad friend to Barb these last few weeks! I've been meaning to visit her in the hospital so I can cheer her up and so we can explore our new friendship”, Poppy eagerly told the other troll. 

“But every time I try, I've been slammed with more demands on my time and mountains of paperwork. I didn't even know that much felt existed and I literally scrapbook every spare second I have! How can I show Barb that I love her without...”

Barb eagerly listened to her friends' voices, their kind words warming her heart until Branch gave a hard thrust, fully sheathing the male inside of her vagina. Startled, she drew in a deep breath as her eyes widened in surprise and fear just as the Pop Troll covered her mouth with his hand.

“Shhhh”, he whispered in a seductive voice, his lips brushing her injured ear. “You wouldn't want Poppy and your little boytoy to hear us and find you like this, now would you?”

The purple female angrily shook his hand off, but kept her voice to the softest of whispers. “They'd be pissed at you, you sick bastard, not with me.”

Branch smiled nastily before he gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead. Ignoring the Rock Queen's quiet growl he looked at her fondly and said. “Maybe, maybe not. But why would Riff or any male want you after they find out that I've made you my little whore? And Poppy. Seeing us like this would destroy her heart, no matter which one of us she sided with. After all the pain and despair you've caused her, are you really so selfish that you'd want to cause her more?”

Barb felt numb as the cruel words hit home. The mental image of seeing the disgust in Riff's eyes made the purple female want to cry, but it was the thought of hurting Poppy that made her stop. She had caused her eternally cheerful friend so much pain already, what with burning her village, hiring those disgusting bounty hunters, and creating a monster that had tried to kill them both. Although Poppy had forgiven her multiple times, the Rock Queen would carry the guilt at what she'd done to the grave. No amount of 'hug times' or heartfelt rock ballads would ever change that.

“No”, she whispered brokenly half to herself and half to her rapist in defeat. “I couldn't hurt Poppy like that.”

“Then let's fuck”, Branch whispered crudely as he began to move.

Barb flinched as the blue male dug his fingers into her hip, forcing her to start thrusting to his rhythm, until they were moving as one. As pleasure coursed through her body, she did her best to convince her racing mind that the coupling was consensual in a desperate effort to remain sane. Closing her eyes so she could more easily hold on to her fantasy, she eagerly met Branch's lips and kissed the other troll passionately, Images of Riff came unbidden into her mind, which she held onto like they were the only thing keeping her from drowning. Suddenly it was Riff that was fondling her breasts and placing gentle kisses on her face and neck and not the Pop Troll using her body for his own pleasure. She moaned quietly, the sound barely a whisper, as she squeezed the cock inside her of her harder, making the blue male quiver with lust and delight.

Branch hummed his approval as he gently tugged on her mohawk, the hair back to it's original shade of brilliant red. The sensation sent new ripples of intense enjoyment through her body, adding a new harmony to the already complex melody of their lovemaking. Time seemed to take on a surreal quality, existing and yet not, as the two trolls fucked with abandon, each lost in their own little world.

Suddenly the pleasure was becoming overwhelming as Barb neared her peak. She instinctively clutched Branch closer as she sped up her thrusts causing the ecstasy coursing through her body to flare even brighter. Branch responded in kind as he matched her rhythm until the world seem to explode into an eruption of bright sparks and fireworks. Barb could only lay there as her orgasm ripped through her, sending brilliant waves of rapture crashing through her body until the Rock Queen thought it would tear her apart. 

Branch continued his ragged thrusting until he came with a muffled curse and collapsed onto the purple female beneath him, pinning her more securely to the thick rug that covered the floor. Barb grunted in pain at the extra weight and tried to focus on the pleasurable afterglow as she felt the Pop Troll's cum fill her to bursting. The feeling of his knot starting to form knocked she out of her pleasant daydreams. She looked at the blue male horror as she tried to push him away.

“Please, no”, she mouthed at Branch frantically as tears started to leak from the corners of her eyes.

Knotting a female (or male) was one of the most intimate things a troll could do. The act caused the body to release chemicals that gave a euphoric high, helped bond the couple emotionally, and greatly increased the chance of pregnancy. The last two things were the reasons why not even the most rebellions of her roadies knotted the random trolls that they fucked with while they were on tour. It was reserved for bonded pairs, deeply committed couples and the closest of best friends. Just the mere thought of having to share that connection with her rapist again made the Rock Queen feel ill.

Branch snarled silently, eyes blazing as he angrily shook his head and jabbed his dick painfully into her cervix. Barb, understanding the silent message, stilled and looked away, suddenly feeling completely exhausted. 'It's not like the asshole would let this nightmare end any other way', the Rock Queen thought listlessly as Branch kissed her and cooed his approval.

After his knot was firmly in place, the blue male gently rolled them over so that Barb laid on top of his muscular chest. The purple female sighed in relief as the heavy pressure was finally removed from her aching abdomen. Having no other choice, she laid quietly on his chest and snuggled her head under the Pop Troll's chin and retreated back into her imagination, where she was in a different place with a very different troll.

“Good girl”, Branch whispered in a loving voice “Good girl”. He gently rubbed her back, running his fingers along her spine before turning his attention back to her scabbed over left ear.

Barb, idly wondered why her badly tipped ear was so interesting to the Pop Troll, flicked it out of his painful grasp, only to have him roughly grab it back and give her ear a hard squeeze in warning. She bit back a grunt of pain and decided to just let the Branch have his way. After what she'd allowed him to do to her, fighting over something so trivial seemed silly. All she wanted now was for the nightmare to be over.

The two trolls laid on the soft rug, cuddling as they listened to the soft murmur of their friends' voices until Barb forced herself to fall into a fitful sleep.

OOO

Barb woke with a start when she felt Branch's knot released her with a pop. She glanced up at the Pop Troll's face, hoping that he'd be asleep, only to find that he was watching her silently, his face expressionless. For several seconds, she felt trapped by those icy blue eyes as they blazed with possessiveness and lust before she was able to look away. Laying her head back down on his muscular chest, the Rock Queen tried to calm herself down as panic and fear tried to rob her of rational thought.

Branch chuckled in amusement as he tightened his grip on the Rock Queen until it was painful and gracefully got to his feet with her in his arms. Taken completely by surprise, Barb clung to his chest in shock as he moved swiftly, unlocking the door and strode confidently out into the hallway without pausing to allow either troll to get dressed.

“H-Hey!”, Barb stuttered in embarrassment as she tried to cover her naked body with her hands. “W-what the hell, Branch? Put me the fuck down!”

The blue male ignored her as he carried her down the dimly lit hallway, past several, thankfully empty offices. Barb tried to growl menacingly as she thanked the Gods of Rock that there weren't any trolls working late. Rockers as a rule hated most types of bureaucracy and avoided this wing of her fortress whenever they could.

She didn't know where he was taking her and she'd be damned if she let him kidnap her to be used as his personal plaything. 

'I wonder if that ass-bastard would put me down if I headbutted him in the face?', Barb thought to herself as they turned down another hallway. 'Might be worth the pain and the beating afterwards.'

Just as she had decided that it would be worth a try, Branch finally slowed down and deftly opened one of the dark wooden doors. Speechless, Barb looked around her personal bathroom in confusion as the Pop Troll carried her inside. She had no idea how Branch even knew that this room existed in the executive wing, or how he knew which one it was.

The entire room was crafted from rough gray stone and was modeled on a Gothic rock theme. The fixtures and furniture were made from a dark metal that was only found near the city and had been crafted by Rock Troll artisans into breathtaking works of art. Black and red linens and various decorations completed the look. All in all, it was of the most fun decorating projects Barb had ever done.

All of the torches and candles in the wall sconces and the large exquisite chandelier were dark, having been put out by her staff when they had thought she'd gone home, plunging the room in faint starlight and deep shadows. Barb startled when Branch caused his hair to glow like a candle, creating a bright pool of light around them. 

'How the fuck is he doing that?', Barb wondered to herself drowsily as Branch gently sat the Rock Queen on her large vanity table. She had hoped that her brief nap would have left her energized, but it seemed to have done the opposite. 

She yawned as she watched the Pop Troll from her perch, as he padded over to the shelves that held her linens and pulled several fluffy black towels from the stack. Seemingly satisfied, he carried them over to the large obsidian sink and soaked them down with hot water and then began to squeeze out the excess water.

Barb cocked her head to the side as she tried to figure out what the other troll was up to. “What are you doing?”, she asked suspiciously, her tired mind not coming up with anything useful.

“Getting you cleaned up”, Branch answered in a matter-of-fact way that made the Rock Queen bristle. “It's what you're supposed to do after you make love to your mate.”

“We are NOT mates”, Barb growled at him warily. She didn't like where this was going, but she was just so tired. After everything that had happened in the last two weeks, the last thing she needed was for her rapist to get clingy.

Branch just gave her a look that clearly stated that he thought she delusional as he gathered up the damp warm towels and swaggered back over to the vanity. 

“Believe what you want Sweet-Thing, it isn't going to change anything”, he said smoothly as he carefully moved her jars and bottles of makeup before he laid the steaming towels down next to her.

The Rock Queen looked down at the pile uneasily and went to jump down off the table when Branch grabbed her wrist in a punishing grip. 

“I wouldn't do that if I were you”, the male Pop Troll said threateningly as he forcefully pushed Barb backwards, causing her to smack her head on the dark stone. The purple female fought back a strong urge to puke as waves of pain and nausea assaulted her as her abused brain protested the additional punishment.

That was when Barb decided that she was done. She was so tired in body, mind, and soul. She just wanted this terrible day to be over so she could start picking up the pieces once again. She didn't even bother to resist when Branch violently yanked her legs open and slapped her inner thigh.

When the Branch saw that the Rock Queen wasn't going to put up a fight, he gently started to wash his come from her body with soft gentle strokes of the towel. He sang softly as he cleaned, and occasionally paused to give the purple female loving caresses over various parts of her body

Barb relaxed into Branch's touch and sleepily hummed as the blue male cleaned and played with her pussy, taking enjoyment where she could. She felt like life owed her at least that much. As the blue male continued to clean her, she made a solemn vow to kick the Pop Troll's ass in the morning after she'd had some sleep. Then she would gather her band together and have them kick his ass again. 

The Rock Queen knew that she couldn't realistically beat the shit out of Branch, his position as Poppy's best friend protected him from that. All she'd accomplish was getting arrested and her people being punished yet again for something she'd done. That was the last thing anyone in the Hard Rock Kingdom needed right now. But it was nice to daydream about....

OOO

Barb slowly woke up at her desk, lying in a puddle of drool. Yawning, she wiped the liquid off of her face with the edge of her shirt and looked around the room, confused and completely disoriented. Bright sunshine shone through the large window of her office and stabbed her in the eyes. Cursing, Barb leaned over and fumbled open her medicine drawer. Fighting back whimpers of pain, the Rock Queen took out her collection of pills and downed them with a swig of her healing potion straight from the bottle.

Slamming it down on her desk, Barb held her pounding head in her hands as she tried to force herself to figure out what had happened. She was drawing a blank for several minutes when the memories from last night came rushing back. The Rock Queen quivered with the overload of emotions as she relived her rape in vivid detail. 

Looked down at herself, she was confused to see that she was still wearing the same clothing she had had on yesterday. While it wasn't that weird for her to wear the same outfit for several days in a row when she was particularly busy or in the zone when writing music, her memories of last night were so vivid. She knew she hadn't passed out with them on. The Rock Queen sighed wearily as she realized that there was only one way to find out. 

'Please, let it only have been a dream!', Barb begged the six Gods of Rock silently as she carefully stood up.

Her heart sunk as the movement sent twinges of pain from between her legs. Carefully reaching down her panties, Barb curled one of her fingers inside of her vagina and felt the thick sticky cum that still clung inside of her. The purple female sighed resignedly as her world came crashing down yet again. 

'So last night did happen', she thought to herself as she desperately fought against the dark and dangerous feelings that were threatening to overwhelm her. 'The sick fuck must have dragged me back here after I passed out'

It was strange that Branch had bothered to dress her and place her at her desk, but even she had to admit that it was better than having Riff or one of her Rockers find her sleeping naked in her bathroom. 

Slowly sitting back down, Barb thought back over events in her head, trying to make some sense of it all. Branch may have raped her again, but she wasn't going to let him break her. She was stronger than that. While the male Pop Troll had tried to threaten and shame her into making love with him, it had been HER choice in the end and NOT his. She had done it to save her beloved Poppy from even more pain. That had to make everything worth it. It just had to.

Feeling a little bit better, Barb grabbed one of the documents off of the tall leaning tower with a flourish and started to read it over. Just then, Riff opened the door and screamed in surprise when he saw her sitting there. Barb laughed harder than she had in a while as Riff did his best not to drop the boxes of donuts he was carrying.

“Come on man, donut me!”, she called out to her friend when she could finally talk. Holding out her hand, the Rock Queen vowed to act as normal as possible. There was no way she could let anyone find out about last night. She couldn't take any more of those pitying eyes.

Riff looked at her in amazement and then with suspicion as he took in her rumpled clothing and messy hair. “Barb, were you – were you here all night?”, he asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

“I couldn't sleep, so I uh thought I'd get a head start”, Barb said quickly as she gesticulated wildly at the dangerously leaning stack of documents.

The gray male looked at the barely touched stack and gave her a look as he handed her the requested pastry. His gaze hardened when he saw the opened potion bottle on her desk.

“Barb!”, he snapped as his glared at her. “Are you chugging your potion again?”

Barb sighed wearily and slammed her head back down on her desk.

“OW!”


	5. Lost It All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barb's world comes crashing down around her and while the right friends will lift you up, the wrong kind will happily help you crash and burn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains some serious stuff. This includes mentions of drugs, violence, rape shaming, pregnancy shaming, and some seriously messed up attitudes. The opinions the characters may or may not have are not a reflection of my own.
> 
> Heads up for those who like the Rock Troll Carol, this story doesn't portray her in that great of a light.
> 
> This story now contains hints and references to Trolls: The Beat Goes On. You don't have to have watched it to understand what is going on, but it would add flavor.

Then I lost it all  
Dead and broken  
My back's against the wall  
Cut me open  
I'm just trying to breathe  
Just trying to figure it out  
Because I built these walls to watch them crumbling down  
I said, “Then I lost it all.”  
And who can save me now?  
~Lost It All (Black Veil Brides)

OOO

Barb woke up screaming, her red hair and nightshirt soaked in sweat. Still lost in her dream, she thrashed wildly as she tried to free herself from her tangled bedding. She could still feel Branch's heavy body crushing her to the ground as he pounded his cock into her bleeding pussy. Whimpering in fear, she finally ripped free from the twisted fabric and sat trembling on the ratty couch. Realizing it had been a dream, the Rock Queen sat up and put her head on her knees as the horrific memory slowly faded away.

'Some strong women you are', Barb scolded herself mentally. 'Freakin' out over a goddamn memory. How lame can I get?'

From out of nowhere, something warm and fuzzy hit the purple female on the head. Barb gave out a cry of alarm and as she jerked away. She squinting her pink eyes as she looked at the object, trying to make out what it was in the gloom. The white fuzzy ball rolled until two similarly pink eyes stared back to the Rock Queen.

“Debbie!”, Barb exclaimed in surprise as she picked up her pet bat and gently snuggled the creature. “Mommy's sorry sweetheart! I didn't mean to wake you”

Debbie didn't seem to be the least bit upset as her eyes looked around the room independently before they both settled on her beloved owner. The bat seemed to realize that something was wrong and gently nuzzled the shaking troll in an effort to comfort her. Barb smiled lovingly at the creature as she stroked it in return. After a few minutes, the Rock Queen let her pet go and watched as the fluffy white bat flew to her her feeding station.

Barb groaned and flopped back down on the couch as the thought of even bat food set off another wave of nausea though her body. She had started feeling sick and exhausted a few weeks into her big 'Barb's Big Apology Tour'. 

The tour, in accordance to the surrender agreement the Rock Trolls had been forced to sign, was officially one of the steps necessary for the Rock Nation to be accepted into the United Troll Nations. Unofficially, it was one of the only ways that Barb could get the foreign trolls to leave and stop looting her kingdom and hurting her people. Barb and her Rockers had taken her largest tour bus fish and every last one of her transport critters and had been ferrying supplies and building crews to the other five kingdoms for weeks. 

Although the exact amount of materials, currency, and workers had been spelled out in their surrender and the many treaties, none of the documents had actually stated that Barb herself had to present on the tour. Barb had to fight with her advisors, doctors, and even her roadies in order to come along. The purple female appreciated their worry, there was no way she was going to let her people do this alone.

Riff had begged her to stay in the bus and out of site as much as possible, but as much as she loved the gray male, that wasn't something she could do. She could never leave her people to face the crowds of furious trolls alone. The Rock Queen had stoically worked side by side with the works crews as protesters screamed and threw things until she had to leave to drop off more supplies in another nation. It was the very least she could do.

The Rock Queen hated every time her convoy had to leave in order make it to the next nation on time. She worried about what could happen to her Rockers when they left and what she'd tell their families if the worst did happen. The purple female made sure to drill her three rules into each of their heads before they left. Don't get into fights. Ignore the insults. Stay together as much as possible. Hopefully everything went according to plan and they would soon be home again, safe and sound.

They themselves had just returned home Volcano Rock City earlier that night. Her father had been sound asleep in the tour bus's one bedroom by then, so she'd decided to spend one last night on the ratty sofas rather than to wake the old troll up. She had reluctantly taken him with her when he was unable to be soothed by Riff's mom, who aided her in taking care of the old king. The trip had been predictably hard on him and he needed his rest.

Barb's stomach heaved once again and she had to swallow frantically to keep from vomiting.

“What the fuck can I possibly have left to throw up?” the Rock Queen asked herself wearily as she carefully sat back up. “I've already puked like six times since dinner”

'Dinner' may have just been two bread rolls she'd been able to force down, but damn it all, she was still going to call it a win.

Barb had been hoping that she'd caught a nasty stomach flu from one of the nations that they'd been to, but her nausea and vomiting had only gotten worse over the last three weeks. The Rock Queen wasn't an idiot. She knew what could happen when male and female trolls had unprotected sex. But since there was no way for a Rock Troll to end a pregnancy safely, it had been easier for Barb to throw the unused pregnancy tests away and tell the doctors that they were negative. Far easier than seeing the smiley face that meant that she was carrying her rapist's baby. But as time passed and she had only gotten worse, Barb was forced to admit that it was a real possibility.

The Rock Queen was starting to get really scared and she really didn't have anyone to turn to for help. There was no way she could tell Poppy about her worries for obvious reasons, although she'd find out soon or later if what she feared was true. She could never tell Riff. Just imagining the looks of disgust and revulsion on his face sent Barb into horrific panic attacks. Sid was also out for similar reasons.

Her beloved Dad barely knew where he was most of the time now, so not only would it be pointless to go to him for advice, it would be cruel. He was such a wonderful dad and had been an even better king. Thrash deserved to have as simple and carefree life as Barb could give him. That only left Carol. 

Barb had thought that she and Carol had been good friends, that the blue Rocker's cruel and cutting comments were just friendly banter between female trolls. Barb hadn't had many friends growing up. Her time had been taken up by voice training classes, music lessons, and the learning the overwhelming knowledge that she'd need to know when she became queen. When she did have time for friends, all the children wanted to do was hang with the Princess. They never really cared for or bothered to get to know the small child struggling under the heavy title.

Now that she had made friends with Poppy and had been spending a lot more time with Riff, she realized that Carol wasn't that great of a friend. She had decided to take a play from Poppy's playbook and invited the other troll over for a sleepover in the Tour Bus with her. The Rock Queen had hoped that some time alone together would help the two become better friends.

Unable to ignore the panicked urges in her gut any long, Barb carefully sat up and then gave another groan as she saw thirty odd trolls that lay sprawled around her mobile throne room, sleeping where ever they had passed out. Apparently Carol had invited her posse over after Barb had passed out from sheer exhaustion fairly early into the night.

Carol's massive social group was comprised of multiple boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, and potential boyfriends along with their various girlfriends that followed the blue female around like lost cider-puppies. They were a rough crowed that were incredibly cruel and preyed on anything weaker than they were. Barb hated that kind of troll with a fiery passion and had specifically asked Carol not to invite them when before their sleepover. Obviously Carol hadn't given a shit and had invited them anyway.

Looking around her tour bus at the sheer amount of destruction, Barb had no idea how she had managed to sleep though what had obviously been a loud and completely insane party. Most of the furniture had been completely trashed along with her brand new amps. Food, broken glass, and handfuls of colorful pills lay scattered around the room while open containers of alcohol of every conceivable type covered every flat surface that remained. 

Barb shook her head in disgust as she carefully stepped around the maze of troll bodies, trying her best not to step on anything hazardous. While she enjoyed a sick party just like any other Rock Troll, this had obviously been the kind that she happily lived without. As she carefully stepped over a broken syringe, she managed to catch her foot on a sleeping couple who were still firmly knotted together.

Choking down a cry of surprise, the purple female stumbled forwards and fell over a troll who was sleeping right in front of the bathroom. 

“What the fuck?”, Carol hissed in fury as she brutally shoved the Rock Queen off of her legs. “Barb?! What the hell are you doing up?”

Barb couldn't answer as she desperately scrambled to her feet and hurried through the bathroom door, making it to the sink just in time. Gagging, she threw up pure bile, the greenish liquid burning her throat on the way up. When she was finally through, the purple female shakily turned on the water and started to rinse out her mouth when her annoyed friend came up behind her.

Crinkling her nose in disgust, Carol swatted Barb hard across the back of her head, almost causing the Rock Queen to hit her head on the metal faucet. “What's the hell Barb”, she sneered as she eyed the other female distastefully. “Again? What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you pregnant or something?”

Barb clutched the black sink as she choked on the water she'd been drinking. She suddenly felt hot and cold at the same time as deep sense of dread filled her body. Pregnant. The word she had avoid even thinking about seemed to take on a dark and threatening life of its own. For bonded couples and close friends, the word described a wondrous event that started with love and ended in joy. But for trolls like her...

Barb spun around and grabbed the other troll's arm for support as the world felt like it had dropped out from under her feet. “I'm scared Carol”, she stammered fearfully. “I think I'm pregnant”

The blue female gave her a look of deep disgust and slapped Barb's hand off of her arm. “What do you mean 'think'? Barb sweetheart, did you fuck a guy or not?”

Feeling trapped, the Rock Queen pushed past her friend and started pacing in what little space there was in front of the bathroom. She started to hyperventilate as her life finished falling apart right in front of her eyes. The only thing she could think of was that she wished her mother were here right now.

Carol rolled her eyes and reclined against the door frame watching the other female with delighted amusement. “What's wrong?”, she asked giving Barb an arrogant smirk. “Didn't your Daddy teach you what fucking is? Okay, when a girl troll lets a boy troll put his dick in her-”

“It wasn't like that.”, Barb interrupted shakily, trying her best to keep it together. “I-I was raped. I-I didn't want it, b-b-but he forced me to. I d-didn't w-want it”

“Someone 'raped' you?!”, Carol sneered and started laughing. “Barb, you're such a fucking drama queen! Guys need to fuck! They can't help it if they find a bitch who can't understand that!”

Barb stopped hard in her tracks, almost losing her balance and stared at her friend in shock and confusion. 'That's – that's not the way it works?', she thought panicked in her head. 'Is it?'

The female Rocker finally stopped laughing and gave her a cruel grin. “So who was this guy who 'raped' you? Let's get him in here so he can defend himself. You know what? You probably just led him on until he just couldn't control himself anymore. You're always been such a fucking cocktease, wearing those tight clothes and then dancing like you do. Then you give your fans blue balls when you don't put out”

Cold horror washed over Barb as she stared at her friend in growing fear. She...what? She hadn't led Branch on..had she? 

The blue troll continued to glare at her while she tapped her foot in annoyance, clearly waiting for the Rock Queen to name the father of her baby.

“H-he isn't a Rock Troll.”, Barb managed to say as she started to shake uncontrollably. 'When did it get so cold in here?', she wondered distantly.

The blue female threw her head back and spread her arms out in a display of exasperation. “Come on Barb! Would you please stop making this so dramatic and drawn out! What kind of troll fucked you then?”

“A Pop Troll.”, Barb whispered, ashamed. At her friend's annoyed look, she repeated herself louder. “A Pop troll.”

Carol looked at her in disbelief before she started to cackle loudly “Oh my God! One of those 'hugs-every-chance-they-get, sunshine and rainbow trolls? You can't be serious!”

Barb pink eyes widened in shock at the cruel words. Biting her lip, she nodded before turning her head so her friend wouldn't see her tears that she could no longer hold back.

“Hey guys!”, Carol yelled to her posse in delight as she started to kick them awake. “You won't believe this!”

The Rock Queen looked up alarmed and grabbed her friend's arm, trying to get her to stop. “No, please! Carol, please don't tell them!”, she begged as more tears started to roll down her face.

The blue female just violently shook Barb off and announced in a smug voice, “Our Queen here has managed to get herself knocked up! And not only that, she says that she was fucked by a Pop Troll of all things!”

Barb's face turned beet red as the room erupted in mocking laughter and catcalls. “It wasn't like that!”, she called out desperately as she tried to explain. “H-he attacked me! I-I c-couldn't get away! I t-told him n-no!”

If anything, her words caused Carol's friends to laugh harder. The Rock Queen felt waves of despair, terror, and shame as the other trolls jeered and mocked her.

“Well, if she wanted a brat that bad, I would have fucked one into her!'

“She let herself fucked by a Pop troll? Who knew our Queen was that easy?”

“Fucking whore just couldn't keep her legs shut!”

“Well, I know who to go to when I need to blow my load from now on!”

Carol held up her hands and the room quieted instantly. “Sweetie”, she said in a sarcastic voice as she leaned in close to Barb's face. “Let me explain some things to you. First of all, a guy can't rape you. Guys need sex and it isn't his fault if you-” she paused to look the Rock Queen up and down. “Send him the wrong message”, she finished to a roar of agreement from the crowd.

“Next”, the blue female continued, obviously delighted to be the center of attention. “If you aren't on birth control, than you only have yourself to blame for...this.” Carol gestured at Barb's still flat stomach. “It isn't a guy's job to watch out for that honey. They got better things to do than worry about their bitches getting pregnant.” The crowd once again broke into roaring cheers. 

“As Queen!”, Carol yelled over the noise until it had quieted down. “You have to know the law. If you do have some guys spawn growin' inside of you, you gotta let him know. It's his baby and he needs to be able to decide if you're his bitch now or if he has better things to do with his cock!”

Barb stared at her friend as she felt the world start to spin dizzily around her. Carol was supposed to be her friend! Why was she doing this! The Rock Queen tried to think of something, anything, to get this nightmare to stop. But she just couldn't think! Why couldn't she think?!

Carol laughed when she saw Barb's devastated expression and gave her a look full of mocking pity “Oh don't be like that Barb!”, she taunted in a condescending voice. “Maybe you're not pregnant! Maybe it's just the stomach flu!” 

Looking over at her friends, she called out. “Does anybody have a pregnancy test? Come on Lisa! I know you do!”

Lisa, a gray troll with black hair and fifteen facial piercings, smiled and rolled her eyes. Rummaging through her denim purse, she pulled out a small box and threw it to her friend. Carol easily snatched it out of the air and grabbed Barb by her arm and started to drag her into the bathroom. The Rock Queen jerked out of the blue female's grasp and turned to leave, done with Carol and her asshole friends, when several of the Rock Trolls grabbed her hair and clothing and dragged her inside.

Barb suddenly found herself pinned to the toilet by several male as they easily stripped her panties from her body. Screaming in rage, she viciously bit one of the hands that were tugging at her nightshirt as waves of fear threatened to overwhelm her. The purple female gasped in pain as the male viciously slapped her across the face as her shirt gave way with a sickening rip.

The pregnancy test was forced into Barb's hand as the males forced her to sit. More and more trolls flooded into the large bathroom, until finally Carol and most of her friends stood laughing and pointing as they stared at their Queen sitting naked and shivering in fear on the filthy toilet.

Trying to ignore the dirty comments and off-colored jokes, Barb desperately willed herself to pee so this nightmare could finally end. Closing her eyes, she thought about music, her beloved pet, her guitar collection, anything she could that usually calmed her down. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, she felt herself start to go. The Rock Queen quickly put the test in the urine stream and then had it snatched away by Carol, who watched it closely. With the other trolls distracted, Barb quietly cleaned herself up and slipped on her ripped clothing the best she could.

After a few minutes, Carol held the test out to the eager crowd. The happy troll face giving two thumbs up in the results window were easy to see. “Pregnant!”, the blue troll shrieked happily. 

Barb closed her eyes in despair.

The Hard Rock trolls cheered even louder as the pulled Barb out of the bathroom and into the center of the throne room so she could be on full display. The purple troll barely felt their hands on her skin as they yanked and pulled on her, lost in a sense of detached numbness as the word 'pregnant' tried to pierce the fog in her brain. She was pregnant. She was pregnant and it was all her fault. She hadn't been strong enough, hadn't been good enough, and now...now she would have to see Branch and tell him about the baby.

“You have to tell him now!”, Carol laughed, as if she could read Barb's thoughts. “I wonder what he's gonna do to you when he finds out? I hope he lets me watch!”

The opening of a door and the sounds of Thrash's wheelchair silenced the room instantly. “Hm wh- um what going who?”, the former king mumbled in confusion as he looked around the room that was strangely filled with trolls at this late of an hour. 

Carol's friends just looked at each other, none of them willing to break the silence.

The Rock Queen looked at her beloved father in horror and shook her head in denial. 'No no no no!', her brain screamed. 'Please no!'. 

Carol triumphantly held up the positive pregnancy test and crowed, “King Thrash! Barb's pregnant! You're going to be a Grandfather!”

Thrash's whole face lit up in joy and wonder. “I'm gonna-gonna be a Granddad! Barbara! That's wonderful! I've-I've always wanted grandkids!”

Carol's posse started to laugh as they gave Barb hard shoves, their fingers digging cruelly into her body. 

“Yeah, congratulations”, laughed Angelus, one of Carol's current boyfriends. “Wonder what Dad's gonna think when he finds out that his baby girl spread her legs for a Pop troll!”

Finally finally Barb felt something other than fear and despair. The purple troll whirled around and punched the gray troll in the face as hard as she could. 

“You shut the hell up!”, she yelled as the male fell to the ground in a boneless heap. “And you”, she screamed to the crowd who backed away from her in fear and surprise. “Don't any of you bastards touch me again! 

Barb stalked over to Carol until they were standing nose to nose. The Rock Queen let all the fury she felt shine through her eyes until the blue troll looked away. “Get the hell out of here Carol and take those fuckers with you”, she hissed with all the venom she could muster. :You better hope I never find you again, because if I do I swear to the six Gods Of Rock that I will gut you like a trout and throw you into the volcano”

The female Rocker muttered something under her breath before she turned around and stalked away. “Come on bitches”, she called out to her crew. “Things just got dull”

As the other trolls left, Barb clutched her destroyed clothes to her body and made her way over to her father who was still staring at her in pure childlike wonderment. “Is it really true Barbara? Are you really going to have a baby?'

“Yeah Daddy.” Barb said lovingly as she bent down to kiss her father's head. “I'm going to have a baby.” She smiled as her dad gently placed his hand on her abdomen where her baby was already growing before she asked. “Is it okay if I sleep with you tonight?”

“Of course sweetheart”, he said happily as Barb gently turned his wheelchair around and wheeled him back into his bedroom. “Any time.” 

Barb gave the group of trolls another look of disgust as she paused to let Debbie fly in and then shut the door before her former friend and her posse could see her finish breaking down.

OOO

Carol was waiting for her in the morning when she wheeled her father out for breakfast. Luckily, the rest of her friends had listened to the Rock Queen and left.

“Why the fuck are you still here Carol?”, Barb said wearily as she gave her former friend a withering look. “I told you to get out.”

The other female just rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips defiantly. “Wow. Mood swings much? Why would I leave? We're friends Barb”

Shaking with rage, Barb carefully wheeled her father to his spot next to her throne and gave him his fiber juice-box while they waited for one of her staff to deliver the food. Only when the old troll was happily sucking on his treat, did she turn around and stalk over to the blue female.

“Friends?!”, the Rock Queen mocking laughed as she pushed Carol hard in the chest. “Friends don't do what you did last night Carol!”

The blue female stumbled backwards and glared at the her in contempt. “We were only having fun! It's not my fault if you can't take a joke!”

“Joke?”, Barb repeated, nodding as she wheeled around to face her father. “Yeah. I can take a joke.” She paused for a moment and then turned around and leapt on Carol, knocking her down on the floor. Straddling her waist, Barb started punching her former friend in the face.

“How's this for a joke?”, she screeched as she punched. 

Carol roared in furry as she grabbed the Rock Queen's bright red mohawk and pulled, wrenching the pregnant troll's head to the side enough to upset her balance. Then, using it to her advantage, the blue female grabbed handfuls of the purple female's artfully ripped tank top and threw her over her head.

Barb landed heavily on her side, knocking the breath out of her, as the blue female ran up and swung her leg back, aiming a vicious kick at her stomach. The Rock Queen grabbed the blue foot and twisted, causing the other female to fall to the floor. Both trolls sprang to their feet like cats and were preparing to leap at each other one again when two voices called out at once.

“Barbara! Carol! No!”, the old king cried out in horror. “Stop! You'll hurt the baby!”

“Barb! King Thrash! I'm here with breakfast stuff!”, called out Riff as he wheeled in the large metal trolley that contained their meal. He stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the scene in horror as his brain tried to process what he'd heard. “Wait. What? Baby?”

Barb whirled around and stared at the gray male in shock, her mind going completely blank. 

Carol, her face now bruised and bloody, gave a vile smirk. “Yeah, haven't you heard? Our Queen here got herself knocked up by a Pop Troll. Too bad you didn't get to her sooner. She's used goods now”

The color drained from Riff's face as he looked at Barb for conformation. She's face filled with the sorrow and despair that she felt as she gave a stiff nod of conformation. Her heart lurched as she watched Riff's expression change from confusion, to hurt, and then finally to anger. Quickly averting her eyes, she quietly walked over to the trolley and finished pushing it over to her dad.

“I'm sorry Daddy,” she said kindly to the older troll. “We won't do that again.” She threw a nasty look over she shoulder at Carol and coldly said, “Carol's leaving and she is never coming back.”

Carol glared at her spitefully and turned to leave. “Fine. Be that way. But just so you know, all of my friends have been telling everyone about you being some Pop Troll's fuck toy. Some queen you turned out to be.” With those parting words, the blue female left.

Barb hands shook as she unfolded the meal tray on her father's wheelchair as she tried to postpone the inevitable conversation with her friend.. She had never felt more alone in her life. The Rock Queen was so lost in her misery that she jumped when she felt a hand grasp her shoulder. She gasped as she turned and looked into Riff's beautiful blue eyes.

“Hey man, don't cry”, Riff told her in a gentle voice as he squeezed her shoulder and then turned to give her father his breakfast. “It's gonna be okay, I promise”

Barb lifted a shaking hand to her face, surprised when they came back wet. She hadn't even known she was crying. “I-I told him n-no”, she stammered as stared at him with wide vulnerable eyes as she tried desperately to explain. “H-he w-wouldn't st-stop!”

Riff wordlessly opened his arms in reply and waited until Barb collapsed into them and buried her face into his chest. He hugged her close and gently brushed his fingers through her red hair and just let her cry. After a few minutes, Barb gently pulled away and collapsed on her leather and metal throne, completely exhausted.

She looked at her friend in gratitude, thankful that he hadn't blamed her or demand that she tell him what had happened. “Thanks Riff. I really needed that”,

The male troll gave her a grin as he handed her the second tray of food, brimming with bacon, scrambled eggs, grits, and toast. “I'm always here for you Barb, you know that.”

Embarrassed and blushing a brilliant pink, The Rock Queen simply gave him a fist bump in acknowledgment. The gray male gave her a brilliant smile as he handed out the flatware and sat down on one of her few remaining amps.

“Carol says that I deserved it.”, Barb mumbled bluntly, attempting to change the subject as she started to wolf down her bacon and eggs. “That guys just can't help themselves when it comes to sex.”

“Easy! Easy!”, Riff exclaimed as he watched her food rapidly disappear. “My mom would always throw up when she ate super fast and stuff when she was pregnant. She had to sort of graze throughout the day” He ignored the irritated look the Rock Queen gave him and then meekly added, “She said it really helped.”

Barb rolled her eyes as she leaned over to lovingly wipe a smear of egg off of her father's face, when her stomach gave a horrific lurch in protest. She sighed as she decided to take Riff's advice and took a small deliberate bite out of her toast as she offered her friend some of her bacon.

Happily taking the strips from her fingers, Riff continued. “And don't listen to Carol. She's a grade A bitch. Forcing chicks to fuck you is messed up. Look at me. I get plenty and I've never forced anyone to do anything they don't want to.”

The rock queen gently punched Riff's shoulder and gave him a small smile she as got up and put what was left of her breakfast back on the trolley. She then flopped back on her throne and swung one leg over the arm as she tried to get comfortable. “Apparently a lot of trolls think that way. It's sick, but not in the good kind of way”

Riff nodded at her statement as he took care of Thrash, removing the uneaten food and carefully washing his hands with a hot soapy rag from a metal pail on his trolley. “A lot of them don't though, so that's a good thing, right?”, he said hesitantly to Barb who gave a neutral grunt in acknowledgment. 

“So...what are you going to do now?: he asked hesitantly

The female troll sighed dejectedly as she swung a foot back and forth. As Queen, there's only one thing I can do man. I'm gonna have to find Branch and tell him about the kid”

Barb's head whipped around in surprise when she heard a loud crash. Riff had knocked over her father's food tray in surprise and was now staring at her, mouth opened wide in shock and anger

“Branch?! As in the Pop Queen's best friend Branch Branch?!”, he bellowed loudly.

Barb quickly scrambled out of her throne and put her hands over his mouth in a desperate attempt at keeping him quiet. “Shut the fuck up Riff! I don't want anyone else to know who it was before I talk to that bastard!”

The gray male looked at her annoyed and pulled away, freeing his mouth. “I knew there was something up with that fucker. Always hanging around, trying to get into your room to see you at the hospital and everything”, he seethed hotly.

Barb watched in amazement as the mild mannered friend that she thought she knew, start to quiver in white hot rage. “I know! I'll just rip off his junk and jam them down his throat. See how horny that bastard is then!”, he spat as he flexed his fingers.

The Rock Queen had to laugh at the thought of thin and wiry Riff going up to the solidly built Branch and just ripping off his tackle. Realistically though, she was pretty sure Branch could take the Rock Troll in a fight and she didn't want Riff to go off and prove her right.

“That would be pretty wicked man, but you know you can't do that. First of all, Branch would kick your ass. Next, you'd probably start another war and I don't know about you, but I'm not looking forward to having our collective assess kicked again”, she told him gently.

Riff looked crestfallen for a moment before he sighed and nodded in agreement. “But we have to at least tell Queen Poppy what happened! Branch is fucking dangerous, man! She needs to know! What he did was all kinds of fucked up!”

Looking away, the purple troll nodded in agreement. “Look, I know, okay? But she's been through so much Riff. Back when I freed her from those damned bounty hunters - they did something bad to her man. Then I come along and steal her string, almost get her killed, and then you know, kind of destroyed her music”

Turning back around, Barb let all the self-hatred and shame she had been feeling flow out through her voice as she gestured wildly with her hands. “It's my fault. All the horrible things she's been through have been my fault! I can't make things worse for her by waltzing up and saying 'Hey Pop-squeek! You know your best friend there, the one you feel safe with? He brutally raped and beat me, not once, but twice, and now I'm carrying his kid.'” 

Realizing that she had been yelling, Barb paled and quickly turned to look back at her father, who had thankfully fallen back asleep.

Both trolls stood quietly until Riff gently asked “Then what are you gonna say man?”

“What can I say?”, Barb sighed as she started pacing. “I'm just gonna have to make it up as I go along.” She stopped to give Riff a pleading look. “Riff, I know you and your family already help me a lot with taking care of Dad. But I can't take him with me when I do this. I just can't.”

“Don't even worry”, Riff smiled as he carefully hugged the Rock Queen. “Mom will be thrilled to have the King come live with us for a while! We can also take Debbie. You won't want to bring her either.”

Barb released the breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding and fling her arms around Riff's neck, feeling just a little better now that she knew that her father and pet were going to be taken care of. “Wow. Riff. You don't know how much this means to me. Thank you.

“Wow! Two hugs in one day! That's gotta be some kind of record or something!”, Riff laughed as he hugged her back tightly. “There's just one thing though. I'm going with you”

The Rock Queen jerked herself out of the male's embrace and glared at him, incredibly peeved. “You are NOT going”, she told the male Rocker sternly. “Branch will fucking kill you if he thinks you're a threat”

Riff narrowed his eyes at her and crossed his arms rebelliously. “He can try. Look Barb, you can tell me to stay here, or tie me up, or hell, you can even kick my ass or whatever. But I'm not going let you do this alone.”

One look at the gray male told Barb that any more arguing would be useless. Once Riff had decided one of his friends needed him, nothing short of death could persuade him to change his mind. She just hoped that Branch wouldn't force it to come to that. 

She gave him a reluctant nod and was surprised when he let out a whoop and picked her up. He spun them around the still trashed throne room until they both fell to the ground dizzy.

She laughed as she punched him lightly in the chest and gave him a huge smile. “Dork”

OOOO

The announcement of Barb's pregnancy was met with loud murmurings and dark looks. Carol and her friends had already spread the story of her rape by a Pop Troll and the subsequent pregnancy as far and wide as they could. Riff had tried to mitigate the damage by having her roadies and their friends spread an edited version of what had happened to her in order to protect her and her reputation, but the results were mixed at best. Barb couldn't tell if her people were mad at her or for her and she didn't have the time to find out.

Thanks to Barb's skillful leadership, it had only taken two days to set things up so that her country could run as smoothly as possible in her absence. She had decided to put her head advisor, Zydeco, in charge while she was gone. He wasn't a very imaginative troll, but he was intelligent and zealously loyal to the Royal Family. 

Riff had been right when he had said that his family would be thrilled to take care of Thrash while she was gone. Barb had kissed him lovingly on the head as she said her goodbyes while he happily played a fierce game of mancala with Riff's grandmother. He hadn't seemed to understand that she was leaving, which made the Rock Queen feel both better and worse at the same time.

Leaving Debbie had broken her heart. The white bat had been screeching in panic as she tried to follow the Rock Queen and had to be restrained.

She had made sure to see her doctor before she left. The old troll had been furious that Barb had lied about the pregnancy tests and made sure she was given a full exam. The ultrasound critter showed that she was around ten weeks along. Barb couldn't control her shaking as she confirmed that was when her first rape took place as Riff held her close.

Finally it was time to pack. It was easy for Barb to decide to leave all of her beloved guitars behind. After what Branch had done to her mother's instrument, she didn't want to risk any of the others in her large collection. She also left behind most of her jewelry, only taking a few studded cuffs and some earrings. After deciding on what she wasn't going to bring, the rest was easy. She filled her large pack with a few sets of clothes, some toiletries, her makeup, and a few small books that were easily replaced.

Now that it was time to leave, the Rock Queen fought to keep her mind blank as her nerves threatened to get the better of her. Picking up her large pack, she quietly hurried out to meet Riff by their Rocker beetles. She had half hoped that he'd come to his senses and stayed home, but seeing him waiting for her filled her with such relief and joy that she couldn't bring herself to be mad at him.

Barb had decided to not announce her plans to Poppy and her village in the hope that she could avoid the pink troll until she could talk with Branch. If she could convince him to let her go, then the Pop Queen would never have to know who her baby's father was. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but as they flew closer, Barb was starting to have her doubts.

“You don't think they'll try and shoot us down or anything?”, Riff asked in concern as they neared Pop Village.

“Nah”, Barb scoffed with more confidence than she felt. “They'll probably throw glitter or hearts or some shit like that. They welcomed us with hugs last time.”

The gray troll cursed as he had to swiftly swerve his beetle out of the way as yet another Pop Troll came whizzing by on a seemingly out of control flying critter. “Yeah”, he agreed. “But last time we ripped apart their village looking for the String and then burned it to the ground”

'Well, when you put it like that', Barb thought sardonically as the Village finally came into sight.

Barb was dumbstruck at how quickly the village was being reconstructed. When she had been there just seven weeks ago, the place had been a charred ruin. But now colorful bundles of troll hair that the Pop Trolls used as homes hung everywhere. Plants and flowers covered the places that had been destroyed by the fire, the damage completely invisible by air. Colorful Pop Trolls danced and sung as they ate cakes and pies as they whizzed passed. It hardly looked like anything had happened to the large village at all.

As they flew, the Rock Queen found the glaring flaw in her plan. Without Queen Poppy to tell them where Branch lived, she had no idea where to go. She looked down as she flew, trying in vain to find the blue face that she saw every night in her nightmares. Unfortunately, the two Rock Trolls were drawing a lot of attention, causing more and more Pop Trolls to cluster together to see what was going on.

A brilliant flash of turquoise and yellow was all the warning she got as a small adult troll on an enormous flying critter attempted to slam into her from up above. Cursing loudly, Barb barely managed to fly out of the way before the other troll slammed her into the ground. Furious, she turned to tear the troll a new one only to feel the blood freezing in her veins when she saw who it was.

Smidge was Poppy's right hand troll and secret Enforcer, helping the Queen run the village and taking care of the unsavory tasks that would have stained the pink troll's sweet innocence. It was easy to dismiss the diminutive troll as weak and insignificant, but that would have been a horrible mistake. The yellow female was incredibility strong and had a ferocious temper. Barb had seen her break one of her Rock Troll's arms without even trying after he had bumped into her. But it wasn't either of those two traits that scared Barb. It was her eyes. The look in her eyes wasn't the look of a Pop Troll, but that of a stone cold killer.

The tiny troll glared at her murderously and yelled in a shockingly deep voice, “Hey, Queen Bitch! You and your little fuckboy better land on the ground before I put you six feet under it”

Barb and Riff exchanged worried glances and wordlessly followed the Pop Troll until she landed some distance away from the village center. As Barb slid off of her beetle with her backpack, Smidge suddenly appeared in front of her as if she'd always been standing there and gave her a smile that was anything but friendly.

“Hello”, the yellow female said politely in that impossibly deep voice. “If you don't remember, my name is Smidge and I'll be beating the living shit out of you today! But before we start, what can I tell Queen Poppy your visit was for today? Burning down our village again? Kidnapping some more Pop Trolls to forcibly turn into monsters perhaps?”

“Hey, just chill man! Just chill!”, Barb said as soothingly as she could as she held out her hands to show the small troll that she wasn't holding any weapons. “We're just here to see Br-ranch”

Smidge looked unimpressed as she scowled and folded her arms. “You want to see Branch? Likely story bitch. It's more likely that you're here to start more shit just when everything was getting back to normal”

Riff quietly hummed the guitar riff to 'Enter Sandman' that immediately caught Barb's attention. As she glanced over at the gray male, he gave an almost imperceptible nod to the side. She gave her friend a puzzled look and turned slightly to see that they were now completely surrounded by angry Pop Trolls. Ignoring Smidge's continued rantings, Barb watched with a sinking heart as more and more of the multicolored trolls arrived, attracted by the sight of the Queen's Enforcer and the Rock Queen. They watched the scene in eerie silence, but Barb knew all too well how an angry crowd like this could quickly turn into a deadly mob.

“Pay attention when I'm talking to you bitch!”, Smidge snarled, startling the purple Rock Troll, as the tiny troll pulled back her fist and aimed at her face.

Suddenly all Barb could see was a flash of gray and black and suddenly Riff was in front of her as he took the hit that had been meant for her in the shoulder with a cry of pain. Smidge jumped back in surprise and watched the gray male warily as he grasped his injury and sucked in air between clenched teeth.

“Don't – don't you dare touch her”, he groaned as he stood defiantly in front of the small yellow female.

“Or you'll what?”, Smidge taunted with an evil smile. “Do you really think that a filthy, ugly, stupid Rock Troll like you could take me on? Well come on then lover boy, I'd like to see you try!”

Riff growled low in his throat as he lunged towards the Pop Troll who stood there watching him with a huge amused smile on her face. Barb barely had enough time to catch his arm and pull him back before his fist connected with her face. The gray male shook with anger as he whirled around and looked at her in disbelief, his startlingly blue eyes filled with a thousand different emotions.

“No Riff. Please. Don't do this man”, she begged the male Rocker as she held his hand to her chest.

“But Barb!”, Riff exclaimed as the Rock Queen shook her head grimly.

“She's just fucking with us so we'll throw the first punch. Don't you see it, man? Her hands will be clean and we'll just be the dangerous Rock Troll thugs that can't control ourselves. She's not just trying to hurt us Riff, she's trying to hurt all of us.”

Smidge, visibly disappointed, watched them with hard glittering eyes. “You may have fooled Poppy with your little charade, but you know what they say. You can put a greygon in a dress, but that doesn't make it a troll. I'm going to show everyone here just what kind of creatures you are and when I do, I'll hunt every last one of you down and rid our world of your entire filthy race.”

The Pop Troll's words hung in the air malevolently as the two Rock Trolls looked at each other in pure fear. Barb had known that a disturbing number of trolls hated them deeply, but not to the point that they wanted every Rock Troll male, female, and child dead. This was a grave threat to her people and one that she now couldn't protect them from.

The silence was broken as the gathered Pop Trolls started to darkly mutter among themselves. Knowing that violence was most likely only minutes away, Barb gently pushed past Riff in an attempt to reason with the yellow female and perhaps mollify her anger in any way that she could. Dropping all pretense of dignity, the Rock Queen knelt in front of the Enforcer. 

“Please”, she begged as she unconsciously touched her stomach. “My people and I don't want any trouble. I-I just need to see Branch. I-” Barb broke off as an unholy joy lit up Smidge's eyes.

“Holy shit, Branch actually did it! I thought he was just blowing smoke up my ass!”, the small troll cackled in delight as she pointed at the other female. Still laughing, the Pop Troll waved her arms at the crowd to get their attention. “Hey guys! Branch managed to knock up the Bitch Queen when he took her down during the war!”

Barb closed her eyes in shame and despair as once again trolls laughed and jeered, getting off on her pain and misery. It seemed like life never got tired of punishing her over and over again. The only comfort she had was Riff who was growing angrily and baring his teeth at the colorful trolls, warning them to stay back, as he stood protectively by her side.

She mentally kicked herself for not realizing that Branch would have told the Enforcer what had happened so she could be on the look out for her. She was a highly valuable target and what Branch had done had tied her irrevocably to the Pop Nation. They were also both sadistic bastards who got off on causing her people pain, so it wasn't any real surprise that they had gotten together to trade stories.

“That guy's a motherfucking hero!”, chortled Smidge as she ignored the gray male's warning and patted Barb roughly like an animal. “He not only managed to knock you down off your high horse, he fucking managed to put a baby in you! Checkmate Bitch! You can't leave now. You'll be Branch's whore for the rest of your life”

The crowd erupted in shouts and cheers as several of the colorful trolls broke out in spontaneous off-colored Pop songs. Barb sighed heavily as the knowledge of just what her future would be like settled over her. She'd have to live in a land that hated her with the male that had raped her. She only hoped she could convince Branch to let one of their children go back to her kingdom so the Rock Trolls would be taken care of.

Riff leaned down and helped the Rock Queen get to her feet. “We can still leave, just you and me”, he told her somberly as he tried to shield her from the antagonistic crowd. “We'll just fly off and until we can think of a new plan or whatever.”

“Not unless she wants to prove that Rock Trolls are untrustworthy, backstabbing, pieces of shit”, Smidge sneered haughtily. “If that bitch is any kind of Queen, then she knows Troll Law. A pregnant troll has to go to the male who impregnated her. If he wants her, then she has to stay with him. Children deserve to be protected by a father and taken care of by a mother”

“And if he doesn't”, Riff snapped angrily.

“Then she and the brat weren't worth anything to begin with”, the yellow female said with a grin. “I wonder which Branch will choose once he gets his hands on your whore of a queen.”

Barb threaded her fingers through Riff's as the Rock Troll audibly ground his teeth together as he trembled in rage. “It's okay man”, she whispered to her friend. “It's just words”

The crowd, which had continued to grow in size, roared it's approval. From somewhere in the back, a single voice started to chant “Tell Branch! Tell Branch!”, until the whole crowd joined in. The loud sound ricocheted off of the colorful dwellings hanging overhead, causing them to swing and shed hair in a colorful mockery of a rainbow.

“Yeah!”, Smidge smiled cheekily. “I think it's time to tell Branch!”

The diminutive female reached up and grabbed Barb's other hand and pulled, almost knocking her off of her feet, and started to walk briskly toward the forest. Barb did her best to keep up as she dragged Riff behind her. The crowd of Pop Trolls parted and flowed around the group like eddies in a lava tunnel. The multicolored mob started to follow them until a harsh order from the yellow female made them stop and disperse, leaving the three trolls to journey on alone.

OOOO

Barb was confused as she stared at the empty forest glade. Smidge had dragged them through the strange forest at preternatural speeds for twenty minutes or so and then hauled her into the clearing, finally let go of her hand. Now the Pop Troll just stood there, obviously enjoying her discomfort, as Riff finally emerged from the bushes.

The Rock Queen watched her friend in amusement as he collapsed on the ground, completely out of breath. “Don't worry Barb”, he wheezed as he sucked in huge lungfuls of air. “I'm here!”

“I told you you were out of shape man”, she sniggered as she teased the gray male fondly. “You have nobody to blame but yourself”

“First off, that's mean”, Riff said petulantly as he continued to lay on the ground, trying to catch his breath. “Next, I play drums. I don't get a chance to run around and dance like you do”

Before the purple female could comment, Smidge started to laugh, completely killing the playful mood.

“Now aren't you two adorable”, she mocked as she started to walk across the field. “Say goodbye now lover boy! You won't be seeing your little girlfriend ever again!”

Barb reluctantly started to turn around to say her goodbyes when Riff suddenly swept her up in his strong arms. Surprised, she looked up at the gray male as he leaned down and suddenly their lips met. Time seemed to freeze as the two Rock Trolls kissed passionately, completely throwing caution to the wind. Barb felt light headed as joy like she'd never known filled her body. 

'Heh, so this is love', Barb thought dreamily to herself. 'Maybe some of those pop songs aren't so cheesy after all'

Riff seemed to agree with her as he pulled the Rock Queen even closer, his hands all over her body and hair. Their display of love both felt like it had lasted since the beginning of time and for the briefest of a second. For one brief moment, their two hearts became one as they joined in a excruciatingly beautiful melody.

The song ended in an instant, like a soap bubble popping as Poppy's Enforcer screamed in annoyance. “Bitch, get your slutty cunt over here and stop wasting my time! Branch is waiting for you in his Fear Bunker”

The two Rock Trolls reluctantly separated and looked at the dangerous yellow Pop Troll who was slowly counting under her breath as she flexed her hands. Beside her, a deep hole had opened into the ground, it's foreboding depths hidden by dark shadows. Riff firmly gripped Barb's cold shaking hand in his and prepared to follow her across the field.

“Oh no, not you lover boy!”, Smidge said sardonically as she bared her teeth in a vague pretense of a smile. “She's going in alone and you're going to stay with me until Poppy tells me what to do with you”

Barb's mind raced desperately tried to think of something pithy to say, something that would make that horrible little monster fuck off and give her a few more minutes with the troll she desperately loved. Tears poured down her face as she came up with nothing and realized that she may never see Riff again.

Riff flicked the tiny Pop Troll off and pulled the Barb back into his arms. Laying his forehead on her's, he choked on his own sobs as his tears dripped onto her face. 

“I'm so sorry Barb. I should have protected you. I should have-”

“You did the best you could dummy”, Barb interrupted, her speech garbled by her own tears and emotions.

“We can still leave”

“You know why I can't”

They ignored the Pop Troll as she screamed in outrage once again. Knowing that their time was short, the two Rock Trolls tried to cram as much love they could in the little time they had left.

“I love you so much Barb. I'm sorry it took so long to tell you”, Riff moaned in despair as he ruffled her bright red mohawk.

“That's my line Riff”, Barb teased as they crushed their lips together for what could be the last time.

Suddenly Barb felt searing pain as Smidge dug her fingers into her forearm and tore her for Riff's embrace. Muttering horribly graphic things under her breath, the small troll dragged her across the field and toward the dark hole. The gray male started to stumbled after her but stopped when the Pop Troll squeezed her hand with crushing force, making\ the Rock Queen cry out in pain.

As Barb neared the dark claustrophobic hole, she was suddenly overwhelmed with terror. Struggling, she pulled against the yellow female's grip as Smidge continued her relentless march. Finally having had enough, the Pop Troll bodily tossed the purple female in to the hole. 

The last thing the Rock Queen saw was Riff's tear streaked face. “Barbara! I love you!”, he screamed heartbrokenly.

As she landed on a hard wooden platform that had been hidden in the gloom, it started to move, knocking Barb to the floor. Desperately she screamed back, “I love you too Riff!”. She could only hope he heard her as the hole closed overhead and she descended deep under the ground.


	6. Anything But Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poppy finds out about Branch fathering Barb's child, but lost in her own grief, she can't see anyone else's suffering but her own. When she finds Riff beaten and severely injured by her own people just for being a Rock Troll, she'll have to learn see beyond her own loss in order to help those who desperately need her the most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, strap in guys. Things are going to get rough. 
> 
> This chapter has mentions of depression, vague flashbacks to rapes, violence, slut-shaming, forced marriage/mates, and prejudice and intolerance.
> 
> This chapter will finally explain why Branch is doing what he's doing. It isn't a good excuse, but no one does horrible things just because they're horrible. They do them because the person thinks they're justified in doing them.
> 
> I've made some modification to the Troll's universe such as adding doors to pods and more furniture to better tell the story. I've also made Branch's bunker larger and more technologically impressive to better fit my headconnon. If there are any inconsistencies in settings/character traits/or objects, just remember my story takes place in an alternate universe. 
> 
> For those of you worried about Barb, she'll be back in the next chapter, don't worry.

Chapter 6

Bound to your side and trapped in silence  
Just a possession  
Is the sex or only violence  
That feeds your obsession  
You send me to a broken state  
Where I can take the pain just long enough  
That I am numb  
That I just disappear

So go on and fight me  
Go on and scare me to death  
Tell me I asked for it  
Tell me I'll never forget  
You could give me anything but love  
Anything but love  
~ S.O.S. Anything But Love (Apocalyptica)

OOO

“Today's the perfect day, in every single way! I'm putting on air right now and nothing can bring me down! Shout from the highest mountain as loud as I can!”, Poppy sang at the top of her lungs as she stirred the large cauldron of okras in Branch's kitchen. 

While cooking the odorous veggies was pretty far down on the list of things she loved to do, the pink female had jumped at the chance to help when Branch had asked. Her Queenly duties had taking up more and more of her time due to the reconstruction and the million other tasks that came from such a major upheaval like the one they had just had. When added to all of the other duties that she had to perform daily, it left little time for her to spend with the teal Pop Troll.

Tapping the spoon against to metal sides of the pot to dislodge the last piece of plant matter, Poppy held the spoon up to her mouth like a microphone and continued to sing as she swirled and danced around the large underground room. “Today's the best day ever, best day ever, and I'm flyin' high!”, she finished with a complicated vocal flourish before she tossed the used utensil into the sink filled with hot soapy water. 

Even though it had been over two months since she and Branch had started dating, she still felt like she was walking on air. She had barely been able to contain her joy when Branch had confessed his love for her in front of the entirety of the Troll Nations and things had only gotten better since then. The male Pop Troll had a romantic side that he had kept securely locked away that she thoroughly enjoyed. 

He would surprise her between meetings with little gifts of food or a pretty trinket. When she came home at night she'd find her pod sparkling clean from top to bottom and an … interesting meal waiting for her on the table. Then there was the sex...

Poppy could feel her face grow hot at the memory of Branch's strong hands caressing her skin as his thick throbbing cock pounded into her body, driving her it the heights of ecstasy. She had used to say that happiness wasn't something you could put inside of you, but now she knew she had been dead wrong. Feeling the tingling in her pussy and the sudden dampness of her panties snapped the Pop Queen out of her pleasant daydreams.

Shaking her head ruefully, Poppy started to wash the mountain of dishes in the sink. Today was canning day and there wasn't much point in getting herself worked up when they were only halfway through. As much as Branch loved making love to her every chance they got, his rampant paranoia wouldn't let him relax enough until every speck of food had been cooked, canned, and put on the shelf.

The Pop Queen had been worried that Branch's special issues and his tendency to kill most of the fun around him would doom their relationship before it even had a chance to bloom. But to her amazement, his eccentricities complimented her own quirks perfectly, even more than they had as friends. It was almost like they had been made for each other.

She couldn't keep the goofy smile off of her face as she rinsed the dishes and set them in the various wooden racks to dry. Her romance was just like the ones in Satin's romance scrapbooks. Amazing, perfect, and something she could never discuss with her dad. 

Finally finished with the dishes, Poppy skipped over to the cauldron and used her hand to waft the fragrant stream to her face. Gagging at the smell, she stumbled backwards, wishing that there was an easier way to tell when the vegetables were done. She just couldn't understand how her boyfriend could choke the vile stuff down, let alone do it willingly. 

“I love that troll, but I am NOT smelling that stuff again.”, Poppy muttered to herself as the okras seemed to mock her. 

After a few seconds of deliberation, she decided to go find Branch and have him take a look, rather than risk ruining the whole batch. 

The Pop Queen carefully banked the fire just like she'd been taught and stepped out into the dark hallway. Lights embedded in the ceiling instantly sprang to life as they sensed her presence. She smiled and took a deep breath as a fresh breeze, pulled from outside ten feet above her, ruffled her brilliant pink hair.

The Fear Bunker, Branch's subterranean home, never ceased to amaze her. The male Pop Troll had built it completely on his own, using methods and technologies that were unknown to any other troll in her kingdom. The structure was by far the most advanced piece of technology that she had ever seen outside of Vibe City. Engineers from across the five other nations had tried to pry the information and tech specs on how it was built out of Branch, but he always refused to divulge even the tiniest sliver of information.

Whenever she asked him why he was so secretive about his bunker, the teal male would only say that he didn't want you-know-who to get that kind of information. She had no idea who or what he was talking about, but since keeping the bunker secret made him happy, it made her happy too. While the pink female wasn't a fan of the name “Fear Bunker”, it made her feel safe just like the troll who had built it.

Poppy frowned as she realized that Branch had been gone for quite some time. He had told her that he was going to slip away for a few minutes to check on Gary, the remote control that operated his security systems and devices he'd installed in his smart-home. She knew that the teal male could get a little...strange...when it came to his remote control, but even with that in mind, he didn't usually take that long to tell the device goodbye.

'He's probably decided that Gary needed some one on one time again', the Pop Queen thought with a bright smile and a roll of her pink eyes. 'There's no reason to get worked up over nothing. That's Branch's job'

Poppy gasped as her previously good mood came rushing back, giving her the natural high that all Pop Trolls got from being happy. Giggling, the pink troll skipped joyously down the hallway toward Gary's room and imagined all the fun things that she and Branch could do later that night. She was suddenly shaken from her erotic daydreams by Branch's angry voice echoing down the hallway, the reverb making it impossible to understand what he was saying. Curious, she quietly crept forward as she tried to figure out what was going on.

“-come sooner!”, Branch was hissing in a voice that sent a shiver of fear down the Pop Queen's spine. She had never heard the teal male or any other troll, use such a malevolent tone before.

A husky feminine voice answered him back, but the words were much quieter and harder to make out. Poppy was sure that she had heard 'My baby”, but it didn't make any sense to her. Why would Branch be so angry over a female troll's baby? 

'There's only one way to solve this mystery!', the Pop Queen thought cheerfully as she continued around the corner.

To her surprise and shock, she saw Barb, Queen of the Hard Rock Trolls, cowering against the packed earthen wall while Branch loomed over her, trembling with rage.

“Barb! What's wrong?”, Poppy asked confused as her friend looked at her in terror. She waited a few seconds for her to respond and then turned to Branch when the female troll remained silent.

“Branch!”, she barked at the teal male, annoyed. “Why are you terrorizing Barb? I thought you said that you had forgiven her!”

To her surprise, Branch also remained silent as he studied her intently. Feeling like she was missing something incredibly important, she turned her attention back to the purple Rock Troll. Deciding on a new topic of conversation, Poppy knelt down until she was eye level with the cowering Rock Queen and gave her a kind smile.

“Barb, did you say that you were going to have a baby?”, she asked brightly as she took the other female's cold hands in hers.

Barb looked at Poppy's hands like they were poisonous adders for a second before she looked up and gave the Pop Queen a look full of the terror that had never left her bright pink eyes. Pulling her hands free, the purple female turned away before she started tugging on her shredded ear.

“Uh, yeah”, she said hoarsely, as if she'd been crying. “Yeah I am”

Poppy squealed and threw herself at the other queen, catching her by surprise. Barb jerked away at the sudden movement and then had to lung forward in order to catch the pink troll before she face-planted in the dirt.

“That's amazing!”, she giggled happily as she hugged her friend. “Who's the father? It is Riff? I bet it's Riff!”

The Rock Queen went completely ridged in her arms, causing Poppy to pull away and look at her in concern. Barb took a step back and grabbed her shirt as she gave the pink female a look of horrible shame and averted her eyes.

Now even more confused and concerned, Poppy took a step toward the grieving troll, only to be yanked back by Branch. Looking up at him in surprise, he smiled and said, “I am.”

Suddenly Poppy didn't feel so happy anymore. Yanking her wrist free from the male Pop Troll's grip, the pink female quickly backed away from the two trolls until her back hit the other side of the wide passageway.

“What do you mean 'you are' Branch”, she asked in a flat voice as her mind whirled in disbelief.

“Queen Barb and I had sex and now she's pregnant with my child”, Branch told her in the tone you would use with a small child. “I'm taking her as my mate. She's going to live here in the bunker with me from now on”

Poppy suddenly felt like she had back at the lake when she'd breathed in a huge lungful of water. She gasped, trying to force breath into a body that no longer wanted it. She shook her head wordlessly in disbelief until she was finally able to force her lungs to work.

“But I-I thought, you w-wanted m-me”, Poppy managed to stuttered as she started to cry. 

Branch's stern expression changed back into the kind one that she was used to. “Please don't cry Poppy”, he told her soothingly. “It's going to be okay, I promise! We can still continue dating and having sex and all of the other wonderful things we've been enjoying. Nothing has to change!”

At that moment, both Pop Troll's hug time bracelets chimed, causing beautiful glowing flowers to grow from the jewelry. Branch gave her a comforting smile and opened his arms wide just as Poppy covered her flower and gave him a hurt look as she took a step backwards. The male Pop Troll gave her an annoyed glare as he dropped his hands back down to his sides.

“Look, I'm sorry, okay! I did the best I could to ignore the way she practically threw herself at me.”, he sighed exasperatedly as he gestured to the Rock Queen who was watching both trolls in wide-eyed disbelief as she violently shook her head. “Come on Poppy, just look at her! She's dressed like a Bergen whore and with those eyes and that hair...I'm only a guy. I can only take so much.”

Poppy furrowed her brow as she thought over what Branch had said. Normally, freedom of expression was important to Pop Trolls. Any and all styles were welcome as long as they made the wearer happy. But at Branch's words, the pink female saw the Rock Troll's outfit in a new darker light. Gone was the image of the happy young Rock Queen who dressed the way she wanted and loved the way she looked. In it's place was a vile temptress who had not only seduced her boyfriend but had tried to use the Strings to change him into a Rock Troll so that they could be together.

Poppy growled low in her throat as she stalked over to the other female who turned to face her in surprise. 

“What the hell is wrong with you Barb! I thought we were friends! When everyone told me that you were a bad person, that you were evil, I defended you! I gave you a benefit of a doubt! ”, Poppy snarled, her whole body trembling with anger and betrayal.

The Rock Queen gave her a pleading look as she reached out to hold her hand. “NO! Please! Poppy, please listen-”, she began before Poppy slapped her full in the face, with a loud cracking sound.

Barb's head violently snapped to the side as she stumbled backwards with a cry of pain. Covering her injury with her hand, the purple female looked at her brokenly as she fearfully backed away.

“Was it all a trick Barb?”, Poppy spat, feeling jealousy and rage, the likes of which she had never experienced before. “Did you pretend to be my friend so you could get to Branch? You knew, you had to know that I loved him! We did the whole “Rainbow Connection” thing in front of you!”

Barb took a hesitant step forward and then stopped when she saw the look of anger and disgust on the Pop Queen's face. Heaving a heavy sigh of resignation, the Rock Troll just slid to the floor, pulled her knees up to her chest, and started to cry.

Taking that for an admission of guilt, Poppy narrowed her eyes at the other female and hissed, “I guess you really are evil”

Poppy stalked back over to Branch who was chuckling as he watched Barb cry and jabbed a finger into his chest. “If she tricked you into having sex with her Branch, why are you taking her for a mate? Why don't you just send her home?”, she asked him bluntly.

For just a fraction of a second, Branch's whole demeanor changed, becoming dark and malicious before everything went back to normal The Pop Queen paled and took a step back as she wondered if what she had seen had been a trick of the light.

Branch seemed to weight his words in his head before he spoke. “She's too valuable Poppy. The Hard Rock Kingdom won't dare try anything now that we have their Rock Goddess and only heir to the throne. Besides, Barb and the baby are mine. I'm not about to let some Rock Troll scum take my baby as his own”

At the mention of Barb's kingdom, Poppy automatically went into Queen mode as she tried to figure out the ramifications of the Pop Trolls having the queen, but all she could think about was Branch's protectiveness over the baby. When they first started dating, the teal male had made it perfectly clear that he wasn't interested in being a father. It had been the only dark spot in the brilliant joy that their relationship had brought her.

“But I thought you didn't want children”, Poppy said crestfallen in a voice that sounded too scared and vulnerable, even to her.

“No”, Branch said chidingly as he waggled his finger at her. “I said that I didn't want to have YOUR children. We both know that the Pop Nation wouldn't accept a royal with my blood, not when they see me as grumpy and fundamentally broken. But Barb, I mean, come on Poppy! Just look at her! That bitch was made to spit out beautiful children!”

The Pop Queen stumbled backwards, feeling as though Branch had punched her in the gut. She struggled to breath as she started to feel violently ill. She had to get out of there.

“I need to go home now”, she whispered faintly to no one in particular as she started to stumble backwards toward in the direction of the platform that led to the surface. 

She distantly watched, as if she was an outside observer, as Barb lifted her head and watched her leave in horror. Quickly turning around so she wouldn't have to see the other troll, Poppy started to run as fast as she could.

“Poppy! Wait!”, she heard the Rock Queen wail in anguish. “Please don't leave me!”

Poppy sobbed as she covered her ears, trying to block out the sounds as she ran. She couldn't bear to listen to any more excuses from her backstabbing friends. She knew if she did, her broken heart would crack so badly that she wouldn't be able to recover.

OOOO

Poppy didn't remember very much from when she left Branch's bunker until she got back to her pod. The entire journey was a series of colorful blurs and indistinct sounds until she had thrown herself on her bed and cried herself to sleep. She stayed in bed the next day, and then the next, only leaving to take care of the essentials. She ignored the frantic pounding on her pod door along with the pleas from her loved ones to let them in.

It felt to her like something inside her had broken, something vital, something that let her feel more than the horrific nothingness she felt now. No matter how much she scrapbooked or looked at photos of Mr. Dinkles, she couldn't seem to feel any of the happiness that had come so easily to her before. Her dad and her friends had tried to stage an intervention, but not even the little blue pills the doctor had prescribed for her worked.

Things probably would have stayed that way if it hadn't been for a tiny jewel beetle.

Poppy laid unmoving on her bed, her greasy matted pink hair spread out around her, as she apathetically watched the shadows move across her pink ceiling. A tiny flash of color caught her attention for the first time in over a week. Lifting her head curiously, the Pop Queen's pink eyes followed the tiny bit of rainbow until it landed on her chest. Sitting up slowly as her stiff joints protested the movement, Pop carefully picked up the tiny insect as it tried to crawl into her nightshirt.

“Hello there little guy”, she croaked, her voice scratchy and painful from disuse

The pink female held her hand up to her face and watched as the shiny beetle crawled around the back of her hand. A shaft of sunlight shining through her bedroom window hit the creature's carapace, causing the room to be filled with hundreds of rainbows. 

Poppy looked around in amazement as the beautiful colors seem to laugh and dance, and for the first time in what felt like forever, felt joy and happiness fill her body and soul. She smiled brightly and laughed along with them as the beetle looked at her as if to say, “It took you long enough!”

Taking a closer look at the creature, the Pop Queen realized that it was a species that lived by the Rainbow Falls. It wouldn't live long without its' food source. Ruthlessly squashing the part of her mind that reminded her which troll had taught her that information, she gave the beetle a stern look.

“You aren't supposed to be in Pop Village little guy, she chided it gently as she sighed. “I Guess I'm going to have to take you back home”

Sliding off of her bed, she hissed as her sore muscles almost refused to hold her weight. When the pain had subsided, she padded across the room, only to do a double take and backtrack to her full length mirror. Looking into the glass, it was glaringly obvious that she had lost weight and her bright pink coloration had dulled enough to be noticeable. She was also in a desperate need of a bath.

“Ewwww.”, Poppy exclaimed wide-eyed as she tried to run her hand through her dirty and matted hair. “I can't go out like this!” 

She frowned as she touched her reflection, barely able to recognize herself. The pink Pop Troll wondered how much time had passed since she came home that horrible night. Dismissing it as unimportant at the moment, she took a deep breath as she prepared to do her Queenly duty and give the best motivational speech she had ever given

“Poppy”, she told her reflection sternly. “It's time you snapped out of this funk or whatever it is. You're Queen and your people need you. Yes, those-trolls-who-shall-not-be-named hurt you, but there are thousands of Pop Trolls out there that need your leadership. Now get your nicely shaped pink ass moving and I mean right now!”

She gave her reflection the best Queenly I-mean-business stare she could before she burst out laughing.

Shaking her head at her silliness, Poppy put the beetle in one of the small critter carriers she kept on hand and then went to run her shower.

The Pop Queen slowly stripped her stiff and nasty bedclothes from her too-thin body and tossed them in the hamper, mentally vowing to burn them later, and then stepped into the hot water. She moaned as the water massaged her muscles and slowly penetrated her dirty hair. She had to wash the long dark pink mass four times before she was able to get all the dirt and grease out. Wincing, she carefully untangled as many knots as she could before she scrubbed the rest of herself clean. As all the filth went down the drain, the pink troll began to feel, if not completely better then she was on the way there.

Reluctantly, Poppy turned off the shower and got out. Quickly drying herself off, the pink female walked naked back to her bedroom and chose the brightest and happiest outfit she owned. While the rainbow garb that Music had given her when she'd help bring it back to life reminded her of trolls she'd rather not think about, it also reminded her of one of the most happiest moments of her life. 

Deciding that the good memories outweighed the bad, the Pop Queen tossed the outfit on her bed and went to get her hair care things. After a twenty minute fight with a shower comb and a whole bottle of detangler, she was able to get her fluffy hair in some semblance of order. She quickly got dressed, making sure that she grabbed her favorite crown and the beautiful pendant her father had given her that he made from a stone that shone with all of the colors of the rainbow.

Now fully dressed, Poppy held her breath and confronted her mirror once again, but this time liked what she saw. She still looked like she had just gotten over a serious illness, which in a way she had, but her colors were already starting to brighten and she looked much better. Letting the air out in a 'woosh', the pink female picked up the beetle and left her pod.

Rather than announce herself to the countless Pop Trolls that were enjoying the early afternoon sunshine, she decided to keep to the shadows which let her observe her people as they came and went. They all looked so happy that Poppy couldn't help but feel joy of her own. As she crept away from her pod, she saw that some of the trolls were setting up party tables under her home. Curious, she managed to snatch a flier without anyone being the wiser and was shocked to see that it was to be a candlelight vigil for her.

Moved that her people cared so much about her, the Pop Queen tucked the flier into the pocket space of her hair and snagged a few cupcakes to eat on the way to the Falls. It was technically her party after all and now that she was up and moving around, she realized that she was hungry! She wolfed down two and stashed three more in her hair space for later.

Now fed, clean, and happy, Poppy felt like she was a brand new troll. She used her hair to swing up into the tall foliage that surrounded the village and happily walked along the less used branch roads, bypassing the Pop Trolls passing below. The pink troll kept her mind busy by trying to come up with a new song in order to keep it from thinking about the two trolls who had destroyed her entire world.

Today is a new day and the sun is so bright  
I won't let the darkness extinguish my light.  
Things always happen, some good and some bad  
The most important thing is the life that I have

Things could have gone worse, but the call is so close  
Wounds hurt more when caused by those you love most

They say the night gets darkest right before dawn  
What doesn't kill you will make you more strong  
Maybe that's true and maybe that's not.  
But right at this moment, it's all that I've got

Things could have gone worse, but the call is so close  
Wounds hurt more when caused by those you love most

Poppy smiled as the last note of the experimental song died away right as she reached Rainbow Falls,. It wasn't her best work by far and it certainly wasn't that cheerful, but it was enough to make her happy. The pink female spent a few minutes gazing in wonderment at the stunning waterfalls that filled the air with beautiful colors and gorgeous music before she carefully opened the critter cage and gently scooped up the beautiful beetle.

“There you go little guy”, she sang happily as she held out her hand out towards the waterfall. “You're home now!”

The insect crawled around her her hand for a few seconds more before flying off toward the falls. Helping a creature in need made the Pop Queen feel like she had woken from a bad dream as she felt the rush of pure happiness fill her body. Closing her brilliant pink eyes, she breathed in the scents around her, enjoying the smells of fresh water, growing plants, and the rich fertile dirt.

Then from out of nowhere, someone tapped her lightly on the back. Poppy shrieked in surprise as she opened her eyes and found herself face to face with a Rock Troll. She started to scramble backwards in order to put some distance between herself and the strange male, when she suddenly recognized him.

“Riff?”, she called out hesitantly to the other troll, surprised at his appearance.

Riff's face was bloody and swollen to the point where it had been a miracle that she'd been able to recognize him at all. His artfully torn Rocker clothing had been completely shredded to the point that the Pop Queen could see he was completely covered in cuts and bruises from head to toe. The gray male swayed as he watched her warily, almost as if he was having trouble standing up.

“Hi Queen Poppy”, he lisped politely through a fat lip.

The Rock Troll waited patiently for her to respond as Poppy's mind raced as she thought of a thousand different questions she wanted to ask him all at once. Why had Barb seduced Branch? How long had they been together? If they were friends, why hadn't Riff warned her about what Barb had been trying to do? Had he been a part of it? But looking into his kind face, Poppy couldn't bring herself to start grilling her friend when he looked like he'd picked a fight with a group of Bergen and lost. 

“Sit down Riff”, she told her friend firmly, leaving no room to argue as she fished around her hair space for her med kit.. “Let's get you cleaned up a bit while we talk.”

The Rock Troll shrugged and all but collapsed on the ground when he went to sit. He watched her closely, making her a bit uneasy, as she pulled out the fully stocked kit. 

Pop Trolls were notorious for having fun first and worrying about the possibly lethal consequences later. Because of that quirk in their genetic makeup, all Kings and Queens were trained in first aid and Poppy went through several kits a week.

Deftly opening the small box, she took out a bottle of distilled water and puffs of cotton and started to gently clean the worst of his wounds. “What happened to you Riff?, she asked her friend as she worked.

Riff shrugged again and then hissed in pain as he grabbed his side. “The trolls here don't like me much”, he answered simply through gritted teeth.

Poppy frowned at his words as she finished cleaning the wounds on his face and neck and went to bandage them. Pop Trolls were the happiest creatures in the world and although she had only known Riff for a short time, he didn't seem like the type that would pick a fight for no reason. There had to be more to what had happened than what he was saying.

“But what did you do to make them not like you?”

Riff scratched his head as he looked at her confused. “Be born I guess?”

“But you must have done something!”, she insisted as she finished the last bandage.

The Rock Troll sighed dejectedly as he let her inspect and treat his various other wounds. After she had finished, Riff looked down at the ground thanked her quietly but sincerely as she put away the unused supplies. He quiet for a few seconds more before he gave her a defeated look.

“I'm sorry Queen Poppy”, he said softly. “I know you want to think the best of everyone or whatever. But the other trolls, they hate us for existing. They don't need any other reason to hurt us.

Poppy looked at him stunned, not wanting to believe what she was hearing. She'd never heard any troll speak badly about Rock Trolls, at least not since everyone had returned home. She had even given a motivational speech about putting the past behind them and letting their true colors shine in order welcome their estranged cousins. 

'Riff must have accidentally done something. That has to be it', she tried to rationalize to herself, although she couldn't think of anything he could have done that would have caused her people to hurt him as badly as they apparently had.

Riff cleared his throat and waited until he had her attention before he nervously asked, “Um, do you know where Barb is? I haven't seen her since we got here and I'm really worried and stuff”

Poppy felt her anger flare to life at her former friend's name. “That troll-stealing bitch is playing 'happy family' with my former boyfriend in his bunker”, she snapped angrily

To her surprise, Riff ripped off his black stocking cap and looked at her in abject horror. “You mean you left her with that fucking rapist?!”, he shrieked as he struggled to get to his feet.

“Rapist?”, Poppy raged as she felt herself grow even angrier. “Is that what Barb told you? Well I have news for you Riff, Branch may be an asshole sometimes, but he would never do something like that!”

“I guess you don't know him like you thought you did”, Riff shot back as he jammed his hat back on top of his head. “Because that's what he did to my best friend!”

“Barb is a liar Riff!”, Poppy yelled as she glared at the gray male with her hands on her hips. “Barb used me to get to Branch! That's all she wanted!”

“You don't know anything”, Riff scoffed as he turned around and started to unsteadily walk in the direction of Pop Village. “You weren't there when Barb was brought to the hospital. You-you didn't see how badly she was ripped open down there or how she still wakes up screaming at night. You never bothered to check up on her, not really. You didn't see how she breaks into a sweat now when a male came too close, or how she breaks down and cries when she thinks no one's around to hear. I was.”

The Rock Troll paused and turned around and looked at Poppy with cold eyes. “Did you even bother to talk to her before you judged her, or did you just run off and leave her alone with that monster?”

Poppy opened her mouth angrily, wanting to yell at the Rock Troll and make him stop saying these horrible things about Branch and force him to tell the truth. But something about how he held himself, the assurance in his voice and the fact that she hadn't given the Rock Queen a chance to explain caused the words to die unspoken in her mouth.

Riff sighed, suddenly looking as old as her father. “That's what I figured”, he sighed sadly as he shook his head. “I thought you were different Queen Poppy” 

The gray troll turned back around and promptly fell on his face.

“Riff!”, Poppy yelled in panic as she ran to her friend. 

She quickly rolled him over and started to run her hands over his body, trying to find out what injury she'd missed. Poppy frowned as he broke into a cold sweat and started to shiver in the warm afternoon air. 

“It's okay, man, I'm fine. I just haven't eaten in a while, that's all”, the Rock Troll stammered woozily as he looked around in confusion.

“No you're not”, she told him as she carefully helped her friend sit up. Rummaging around her hair space, she pulled out the cupcakes she had stashed there earlier, and pressed one into Riff's hand. “Eat this”

Riff looked at Poppy in surprise, then down at the cupcake, and then at Poppy, then back down at the cupcake before he stuffed half of it in his mouth. The pink troll watched as he practically inhaled the treat and then handed him another.

“Why didn't you just get something from Pop Village”, she chided him gently, finding it far easier to help her friend with his low blood sugar than to try and work through the shocking revelation that Branch might just be the violent rapist that Riff claimed he was. “I'm sure you could have found something you liked”

Riff licked his fingers as he finished the second treat. “They wouldn't let me have anything. I even tried to trade some of my gems. All they'd do is yell and beat the crap out of me”

Poppy wordlessly handed him her last cupcake as his words finally started break through her rainbow and glitter view she had of her people. Pop Trolls couldn't be racist, could they? The mere thought was anathema to her. She hoped that Riff was mistaken, but there was only one way to find out.

“When you feel better Riff, we need to find Branch”, she told the Rock Troll who gave her a look of pure gratitude. “It's beyond time I finally learned how to listen.”

OOOOO

The two trolls walked quietly back to Pop Village, but it wasn't the uncomfortable kind of silence that Poppy hated. Riff had a way about him that made you feel loved and cared for without anyone saying a single word. She let her mind drift back to when she had first met the Rock Troll as they walked.

*******Hiding in the deep shadows of the empty concert stage, Poppy shivered uncontrollably as she clutched her knees to her chest and rocked back and forth. It had only been a few days since she and the other trolls had been able to bring back music and restore all of their colors, but it felt like it had all happened just moments ago. The combined nations of trolls were throwing the loudest, the craziest, the most amazing party that had ever been thrown by trolls. Although she had been the guest of honor, just one look at the huge crowds who watched her as if she were some sort of holy being made her flee in panic out into the night.

Everything was just happening so fast. She hadn't had enough time to even process it all, much less come to terms with what had happened to her or what she'd learned.

In the space of a few days, she had found out that there were different tribes of trolls and music, then that one of those tribes wanted to destroy music as she knew it. Then during her mission, she'd learned it had been her own people who had been the original aggressors that had driven Trollkind apart. Right after that horrific discovery, she had had was her huge fight with Branch and then the bounty hunters-

Poppy's stomach heaved as images of the Reggaetons flooded her mind. She wasn't even ready to acknowledge what they'd done to her, much less found a way to stop the memories from ripping her apart. The ways that they had hurt her, the ways they had touched her, what she felt when Tambora had slipped her fingers up inside of her... The pink female clenched her teeth as she tried force back the tears that threatened to fall.

No one could know. No one could ever know how they stripped her of her dignity, her troll-manity, her very identity as a person. How they made her feel or the humiliation she'd felt when Queen Barb had showed up and somehow known what they'd done. She felt so dirty and so very empty...

if that had been all that had happened, the Pop Queen was fairly certain that she'd be fine, but the hits just kept on coming. The horrible concert where the Rock Queen had turned Branch into some kind of thing had been that very night. She refused to remember all of the cruel things that monster had said, the terrible things he had tried to do; had done to her backstage. Then the horrific loss of her music and the overwhelming rush of getting it back. Then came Barb's collapse and her rush to the hospital. She had wanted to go with her new friend, but Branch had held her back as the Rock Troll doctors whisked her away. 

After that came those horrible peace treaty negotiations..The most complex contracts she had negotiated before had been an agreement between two Pop trolls over who got to hug who first. She had been in way over her head as she worked with leaders who had wanted to take Queen Barb and hurt her in ways that had made her throw up, ways that she only understood after her experiences with the Reggaetons... The talks had easily been one of the worst experiences of her life. 

Even the wonderful events kept adding to her overwhelming stress. Her new relationship with Branch. The way she now a heroine to all of Trollkind. Her making a friend out of Barb. It was enough to break anyone, but the last thing that the Kingdom of Pop needed was a Queen who couldn't suck it up and do her job. 

Poppy knew that she should be out there celebrating, that she should be overjoyed that she had helped reunite Trollkind and fixed her ancestors' horrible mistakes. She should be with her friends as they joyously danced, ate and glitter-bombed each other. But here she was, freaking out and crying at the site of their climactic battle. The Pop Queen never felt more alone in her life.

Suddenly the sound of melodic whistling rang out from the darkness. Poppy jerked her head off of her knees and peered nervously out at the dimly lit stadium as jolts of fear made her heart pound painfully fast in her chest. The disembodied whistling kept getting closer and closer until a gray Rock Troll emerged from the orange-tinted gloom.

The tall male was carrying something in his hands as he looked around the darkened stage, clearly searching for something. The Pop Queen stayed as still as she could as she nervously tried to figure out what else could out there in the dark with her. The Rock Troll suddenly turned in her direction and started to walk towards her in a way that sort of reminded the pink female of an overgrown puppy.

Inwardly cursing her bright coloration, Poppy tried to slowly scoot further back into the shadows in a vain attempt to hide. The tiny movements seemed to attract the other troll's attention as he looked right at her hiding spot. He started to walk toward her briskly but stopped when she looked up at him fearfully. To her embarrassment, she wasn't able to stop the terrified whine that escaped her throat as the two trolls stared at each other just a few feet away.

The first thing her hysterical mind noticed about the Rock Troll was his coloring. He was gray, but not the same depressed sort of gray that Branch had been before he discovered how to be happy. It was almost like someone had taken a purple troll and had dunked him into one of the tanks of dye that her village used on “Re-Dye Your Old Clothes Day”. He had dark inky black hair that stood out from under his black stocking cap that hid his eyes from view. Finally he wore the same type of ripped up clothing that Barb and her Rockers seem to prefer.

He watched her silently for a few seconds longer before leaning down and placing the object he'd been carrying on the ground and gently pushing it toward her. It skittered across the sage until it came to a stop right next to her leg. Then humming in satisfaction, the Rock Troll walked a few feet further away and sat down with his back against an amp and looked up at the starry night sky.

Poppy eyed him in confusion before she looked down and saw that he had brought her a plate of food. At the very top was a large piece of cake with a fork stuck in it that had obviously come from her party, if the brightly colored frosting was any indication. It had been carefully balanced on top of an enormous mountain of completely random party foods that threatened to spill from the overburdened plate. 

It all looked extremely delicious to the Pop Queen who hadn't eaten since early that morning. Not even bothering to give a second thought as to why a random Rock Troll would bring her food, she carefully picked up the plate and pulled a cocktail wiener from the pile and popped it in her mouth. The strange male nodded slightly and smiled without looking at her directly as he continued his stargazing.

Poppy continued to watch the other troll as he just sat there, not saying a word, as she ate. The Pop Queen knew that she should have been at least a little worried at his presence. She had after all stopped their attempt to unite the tribes, had come up with the plan that destroyed their sacred guitar, and had let the other leaders put their beloved Rock Goddess in the ICU. But all she got from the strange male was a sense of peace and serenity.

Just as she finished the last bite and was trying to decide it if would be un-Queenly to lick her plate or not, the Rock Troll turned his head and looked at her.

“They said that you'd probably just gone to lie down and stuff, but you had that look on your face when you left, like Barb does when things get too much for her or whatever.” he said in a voice that was higher toned than she'd expected.

Poppy, completely at a lose for words, looked down at her lap and started playing with her hands. Her silence did nothing to deter the Rock Troll from continuing his one sided conversation.

“I figured you'd be hungry after how long the negotiations went on today, so I grabbed you some food. I didn't know what you'd like, so I took a little of everything. I'm Riff by the way”, the gray male said cheerfully.

“Thank you”, Poppy said quietly with heartfelt gratitude. 

She was completely stunned that it had been a Rock Troll who had realized what she needed and cared enough to see that she got it and not one of her many friends. She idly wondered if most of them knew she wasn't even at the party. 

As she continued to look at the male troll, she felt a sense of familiarity, as if she knew him from somewhere. She thought for a few moments before she snapped her fingers when it suddenly came to her. 

“Hey, I know you! You're the drummer at the concert. You told Barb that what she was doing was wrong!”, she exclaimed excitedly.

Riff gave her a huge grin that lit up his entire face. “Guilty as charged!”, he laughed as he gave her the sign of the horns. “Barb's my best friend! Sorry for the whole 'string' thing. She's a good person, I swear. She just gets caught up in her plans and doesn't listen to me when I tell her she's being stupid”

Poppy chuckled at the Rock Troll's words. “Oh, I know how that goes. I haven't exactly gotten the whole “listening to others” thing down myself. Being Queen is so much harder than I thought it would be. There's always so many decisions to make and you don't know who to listen to, or if you should listen at all, and you don't know how any of it will turn out!

Riff nodded in agreement as his ears pricked slightly. He started to look around the stage and the dimly lit auditorium as if he sensed something out in the darkness. After a few seconds, he relaxed and turned back to face her.

“Yeah, that's Barb to a T. She was still learning all that Queen stuff when King Thrash took a bad turn last year. It's been really hard on her”, he sighed dolefully as his cheerful demeanor dimmed noticeably.

Feeling a connection with the sweet natured male, Poppy patted the space next to her in silent invitation. Riff gave a little giggle and quickly crawled the distance between them and sat by her side. Without thinking, the pink female laid her head on the Rock Troll's arm with a contented sigh, happy for the comfort his presence now gave her.

Riff looked down in surprise, but just smiled and looked away. The two trolls sat in friendly silence and enjoyed each other's company as they watched the stars until a lout scream like growl shattered the night. A second much closer scream answered its friend. Riff was instantly on alert as he sprang nimbly to his feet. . 

“We have to go now Queen Poppy”, he said worriedly as he leaned down and helped pulled the smaller female to her feet. “It isn't safe for us to be above ground any more”

Poppy glanced at the gray male in surprise as she realized that Riff hadn't just been looking for her to give her something to eat. He'd been trying to find her so he could protect her from predators that she hadn't even realized were out there. She could have been killed and eaten and no one would have been the wiser.

The two trolls crept quickly to the back of the stage to where the main entrance into the Rock Queen's fortress was located, only to find that it had been securely locked from the other side. Riff cursed softly as he slammed his shoulder into the metal door before hanging his head in defeat. Poppy watched in amazement as his large pointed ears twitched again. 

He glanced behind them quickly before he grabbed her hand and pulled her further backstage. After weaving thorough a maze of equipment and general clutter, the reached a second door just as the things outside screamed again, this time close enough that the Pop Queen knew they had to be in the stadium itself.

Riff jiggled the handle urgently before giving up all pretenses at hiding and started pounding on the door.

“Come on guys! Let us in!”, he yelled over the sounds of snuffing and falling equipment came from the front of the stage.

Poppy closed her pink eyes in despair when the door remained closed. She normally agile mind raced as she tried to think of a way out of his horrible mess, but the only thing thought she could form was 'I don't want to die like this!'. She was startled out of her thoughts by a gentle hand on her shoulder. Quickly opening them aback up, she looked into Riff's gentle face.

“We'll be okay Queen Poppy”, the gray male lied badly. “I promise”

She gave him a small smile, deeply grateful for his attempt at making her feel better, as he turned away and started scanning the floor. Giving a soft cry of exclamation, the Rock Troll pulled out a broken microphone stand and held it like a club as he pushed Poppy behind his body. Time seemed to stretch as they waited wide-eyed with fear as the growling moved ever closer to where they hid.

Suddenly the door behind them opened, causing Poppy to fall through with a shriek. She grabbed her new friend by the back of his jacket as she fell, taking him with her. Strong hands pulled them the rest of the way inside as other Rock Trolls slammed the door shut and securely barricaded it with large metal bars. Seconds later, the sound of something big hitting the metal echoed through the staging area as the creatures hunting them missed their targets.

Poppy and Riff, both so very different and yet so very alike, looked at each other and laughed hysterically at their narrow escape.****

The memory was very dear to Poppy and one she held close to her heart. Suddenly ashamed, the pink troll realized that she hadn't been very fair to her friend. She glanced over at Riff who looked like he had been wrapped and prepared for burial and gently reached out and took his hand. The gray male stumbled and looked at her in surprise before giving her a tentative smile as he tightened his hand around hers.

“I'm so sorry Riff”, Poppy said softly as she looked at him shamefacedly. “I know you wouldn't lie to me, but it's just so hard to believe that Branch could be capable of doing something like that”

Riff looked back at her with eyes full of despair before he focused his attention back on the road. “She wouldn't do that you know. Go after Branch like that. Barb cares about you a whole lot. She's always talkin' about how guilty she feels about what she did to you and stuff. I know she'd rather hurt herself than hurt you. Especially now”

Poppy looked away as the words burned tiny holes in the scrapbook in her mind, he one she'd created with her own suspicions and accusations that told the story of her friends' betrayal. The Barb that Riff talked about loved Poppy with a passion that surprised her, while the one Branch had described had been the complete opposite.

“But, Branch said that she was attracted to him!:, she blurted out desperately as she tried to cling to the image of the Branch she thought she knew. 

The Rock Troll stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the pink female like she'd grown a second head. “That stupid sick fucker!”, he growled angrily as he balled his hands into fists. “Barb's fucking terrified of him! She's in love with me!”

“You?”, Poppy said in surprise as her mental scrapbook continued to burn. She knew that the two trolls were best friends, but she hadn't seen anything that told her that they were in a romantic relationship.

“Yeah, me! We finally worked up enough guts to tell each other just as that little psycho-bitch dragged her away! We hugged and kissed and Poppy – it was the best thing I had ever felt in my life! It was like every moment before was this was ugly and gray. I saw her face, I know Barb felt the same way”, Riff ranted in escalating panic.

As Poppy watched her friend wring his hands in a desperate attempt to calm down, the scrapbook in her mind finished burning completely away, not even leaving ashes behind. She knew exactly what Riff had been describing. It was how she had felt onstage when she and Branch had made their 'Rainbow Connection'. The emotions on Riff's face were impossible to fake and she knew he was a terrible liar.

Suddenly feeling cold, she grabbed Riff's hand and started to run. She needed to get to the bottom of this like she should have done when she had chosen run away instead. They needed to find Branch and they needed to find him now.

OOOO

The first place that Poppy had them check was, of course, the Fear Bunker. The Pop Queen had yelled and pleaded into the little metal intercom for Branch to let her inside, but if he was in there, he decided not to respond. Out of frustration, she then had tried every code and password that she could think of, but none of them worked. Branch had changed them all to keep her out. She was no longer welcome in his home.

Riff stood awkwardly off to the side as Poppy screamed and called the teal male every vile name she that had ever heard of. It wasn't Branch's rejection that upset her the most, although it hurt for worse than the pink female thought it would. No, it was the sinister implications behind Branch's complete lock down of the Fear Bunker.

He hadn't locked down the bunker at any time when they were dating. They'd had trolls wander in twice when they were having sex, three times when they were bathing, and once during a game of strip “Go Fish”. The fact that he had done so now could only mean one thing. He was doing something down there, something he couldn't risk the other Pop Trolls seeing, and Poppy would bet her very colors that it had something to do with Barb.

Keeping her fears to herself, Poppy turned to Riff a gave him a terse smile. “There's no point waiting around here”, she said somberly. “There's no way to get in if Branch doesn't want us inside. Maybe we're worrying too much and he's actually gone to take Barb shopping in the village!”

Even without being able to see the gray male's eyes, she could tell that Riff was giving her a skeptical look. Honestly, she didn't even believe it herself. But looking on the bright side and hoping for the best was the Pop Troll way and Poppy couldn't risk loosing herself again.

Turning around, they went back into the forest and started the journey to Pop Village. 

OOO

Poppy looked at the lengthening shadows with a frown. Although he-who-shall-not-be-thought-of kept his path to the village clear of predators, both she and Riff would be an easy meal if one had gotten through his defenses. Growing her hair out, Poppy pulled herself up off the forest floor and up into the tree branch roads overhead. Even these paths weren't ideal, as they were overly exposed to the sky above, but they would be are far safer than the one at ground level.

Realizing Riff hadn't joined her, she looked down at the ground to see the Rock Troll watching Poppy in pure amazement. 

“Oh man!”, he cried out, his voice filled with a childlike wonder as he gave her the sign of the horns. “That was freakin' awesome! How'd you do that?!”

The Rock Queen frowned, at a loss of words of how to explain. “You just – do it!”, she responded lamely. “I don't know. I've never really thought about it. Are you saying that Rock Trolls can't use their hair to move to around or help defend themselves? That's so awful!”

The thought was chilling to the pink female. Pop Trolls used their hair for everything. She'd personally used hers to helicopter down from great heights, haul herself up into the trees,and to help wash her back and that was just today! It also didn't take into account the million other ways they used their hair, like in courtship displays and general communication!

The Rock Troll looked off to the side and scratched his neck. “Well, we do use our hair for stuff”, he said contemplatively. “We use it to let others know how we feel, but I don't think it's so obvious like Pop Trolls are. We also make sick glam rock hairstyles of course”

“Of course”, Poppy smiled back, thrilled to learn more about their Rock cousins.

“Oooo! I also use mine to help me drum some of Barb's more crazier pieces. A lot of Rockers do that! It's also great for jotting down lyrics or chords when you've got your hands full. But- ” Riff gave a shrug as he looked back up to her. “I've never seen one of us be able to use our hair like that. It's pretty cool”

“Well, why don't you give it a try! It's a lot safer up here!”, the Pop Queen said mischievously as she patted the mossy space next to her.

Riff smiled back at her gamely before taking off his hat and sticking it in his hair space before he hunched over with a look of intense concentration. The shiny black mass of his hair writhed, growing longer, but not even close to the lengths that the pink troll could grow without even trying. Muttering to himself, the Rock Troll shifted into a difference stance and tried again. Once again, the black locks struggled to do what their owner asked, but to no avail.

Heaving a tired sigh, Riff gave the pink troll a look of defeat. “I'm sorry Queen Poppy. I can't do it”

Poppy just waved her hand dismissively, “Don't worry about it Riff! You gave it your best! What troll could ask for more? I'll just help you up here and we can be on our way!”

With that, the pink female grew her hair out into a series of steps, which the Rock Troll slowly climbed. Once he reached the top, Poppy gave the gray male a big hug, and took his hand as she started pulling him towards Pop Village.

The larger male laughed at her sudden energy and let her drag him along. “Why didn't you just do that to start with or something like that”, he chuckled as they walked.

“Well, you never know what you can do unless you try!”, Poppy chirped back, taking comfort in the happiness and love she was feeling with her friend. 

A troll never knew how long that would last.

OOOO

Much to Poppy's joy and delight, as soon as her people saw her, they began to celebrate. Confetti and streamers went off everywhere, covering the entire section of the village in multicolored rain. Trolls lined the path as they greeted her with songs and joyous comments, all of them ecstatic to see their beloved Queen out and about. The Pop Queen was so busy commenting, hugging, and singing that she didn't notice anything amiss until Riff stumbled into her.

She looked at the gray male in concern, worried that his blood sugar had started acting up again, when she saw a Pop Troll, who was partially obscured by the large crowd, throw a rock at them. Before she could give any kind of warning, the projectile hit Riff in the side of his head with a sharp crack, opening up a nasty gash. Other than a muffled grunt of pain, Riff didn't react as sparkling blood started to stream down his face.

Horrified, the Pop Queen hurried toward the troll responsible just as he slipped back into the crowd, She just started asking trolls if they knew the name of the attacker hen suddenly the entire aspect of the social gathering changed drastically. 

The crowds that had been so adoring just seconds before, were now watching Riff with hate and disgust. Realizing that something terrible was about to happen, Poppy tried to run back to Riff, but was pushed to the back of the crowd as newcomers fought to make room to view the upcoming spectacle. 

“How do you like that Rock Troll?”, Poppy heard an angry voice say as she stood on her tip-toes, trying desperately to see what was happening. “I have plenty more where that came from!”

“Hey dude, I'm not looking for trouble”, she heard Riff say in a calm low voice. “I'm just tryin' to help Queen Poppy find someone, that's all”

“Hey duuuuuuude!”, mocked the unknown speaker. “Do you even realize how stupid you sound Rock Troll? Then again, the fact that you can speak at all must make you a genius among your kind.”

The crowd burst into cruel laughter as other trolls, emboldened by the speaker, began to mock and jeer at her friend. 

“Get the hell out of here so that decent trolls don't have to smell you!”

“Fucking anarchists!”

“They should be locked up like the dangerous animals they are!”

“Nah! They should just be thrown into their own volcano so we can just be done with them!”

Poppy couldn't believe her eyes and ears as trolls that she'd known all of her life change right before her eyes. Gone were the gentle and sweet natures that Pop Trolls were known for. In it's place were hatred and intolerance in all of it's ugly glory. Riff hadn't exaggerated the situation in any way. All he'd done was exist, but that had been enough.

No matter what she tried, the Pop Queen couldn't make any of her people let her by. Not even polite 'excuse mes' or urgent shoulder tapping made a single troll budge an inch. The only thing she got were annoyed glances and horrific promises to 'take care' of the problem for her.

The crowd started to murmur angrily when Riff didn't take the bait and almost as one, decided to up the stakes. Pop Trolls started leaning down and picking up any object they could find and start throwing them.

“Stop!”, yelled Poppy frantically as she heard Riff cry out in pain, but her cries were completely drowned out by the sheer volume of the mob.

Furious at what her people were doing, the Pop Queen decided she was done playing nice. Growing out her hair, the pink troll used it like a whip, cracking it as close to their heads as she could. One by one, the trolls in her path turned in annoyance, only to have it change to fear when they saw the look of anger and determination on their Queen's face and moved out of the way. 

Finally, Poppy made it to the center of the mob and into a scene right out of a nightmare.

Trolls were throwing rocks and sticks at Riff who was curled up on the ground in a desperate attempt to protect his head and vital organs as best he could. Blood was streaming down his body and soaking his new bandages as he passively took the punishment the Pop Trolls were doling out. Poppy shook her head in denial and disbelief before she ran out to protect her friend.

“STOP!”, Poppy screamed as she ran. “STOP IT”

She had almost reached the Rock Troll when something hard hit her in the forehead, causing the pink female to cry out in pain as her vision exploded in a sea of white. She could feel herself falling when she was suddenly enfolded in strong arms as Riff swept her off the ground and into his embrace. He had just enough time to curl up around her when a flurry of rocks started to fall all around them. She clutched his shaking form close as he flinched whenever each missile found it's mark.

Suddenly the roar of the crowd stopped as if someone had pressed the mute button on a boombox. Riff remained in his protective position until Poppy gently pushed against his chest. The gray male cautiously lifted his head and examined the crowd for danger before he straightened up and let her go. The Pop Queen had to bite back a cry of dismay when she saw the state her friend was in.

If Riff had looked like he needed first aid before, he most definitely needed a doctor now. His black hair was matted to his head from at least three head wounds and one eye was swollen shut. The Pop Queen could see that was just the start of his injuries as she looked over his lanky form. Before she could comment, the gray male beat her to it.

“Are you okay Queen Poppy”, he asked softly as he fumbled at his clothing until he pulled out a red bandanna that was covered in white skulls. “You're bleeding”

Poppy laughed hysterically as she took the proffered cloth and dabbed at her forehead, surprised when it came away with quite a bit of sparkly blood. “That's funny coming from the troll who looked like he bathed in my glitter drawer”, she teased faintly as her head began to really hurt.

Riff laughed and waved away her concern. “Yeah, maybe, but you're my friend. It's my job to worry about you first!”

Shaking her head fondly, Poppy gave the gray male the biggest hug she could. “We need to get you to a doctor”, she whispered to him, trying to keep his physical state from the multicolored crowd.

The Rock Troll went to shake his head, but stopped with the movement caused him pain. Leaning down slowly until his mouth was by her ear, he whispered, “I don't know how we can. I don't think they'll let me leave”

Turning around to face the mob, Poppy saw that although her people were watching her fearfully, none of them appeared to be in any hurry to leave. Quickly realizing that this might be the only time she would be able to reach every troll that had been a part of the violent mob, the pink female slipped into full Queen mode.

Standing as tall and straight as her throbbing head would allow, she gave each and every troll a hard look before she started walking forward. The Pop Trolls in the front started to fearfully pressing backwards, but this time the large crowd worked to her advantage and didn't let a single one out. She only stopped when she was in touching distance to the mob.

Poppy knew she must look quite the sight. Her rainbow outfit and crown were pretty striking on their own, but it was how she had gotten them and most importantly who had given them to her that made them sacred to the Pop Trolls. Combined with her anger and the sparkling rainbow blood that was still running down her face, it must make her look like one of their warrior goddesses made manifest.

She stood staring at the crowd with hard serious eyes until one of the trolls, a purple and blue male named Darius, hesitantly crept forward. “I'm-I'm sorry Queen Poppy. I-I didn't mean to h-hit you! I swear! I was trying to hit the Rock Troll”, he stuttered nervously as he looked at the Pop Queen in horror. 

Poppy felt a fresh rush of anger as the other troll casually admitted to trying to hurt Riff. “And why were you attacking my friend”, she asked him coldly.

Darius looked around wildly for support but faded to a muddy purple when he saw that none of the other trolls were going to support him. “Um...”, he whispered as he stared at her bug-eyed in fear. “Because he's a Rock Troll?”

Enjoying his fear than she probably should have, the Pop Queen tilted her head to the side so she was looking down her nose at the frightened male. “So, you're saying that it's okay to attack and injure a troll as long as it's a Rock Troll”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Darius smiled. “See! Now you get it! Rock Trolls are a disgusting blight on our society! They need to be taught their place!”

“What kind of Pop Troll are you?”, Poppy snapped in disgust as his words made her mind recoiled in horror.  
She looked up and scanned the crowd, trying to meet each and every Pop Troll's eyes. “What kind of Pop Trolls are any of you?”

Her people looked at their beloved Queen in horror as their colors started to dim noticeably. The now dull-colored mob started to look around at each other guiltily and began shifting as if realizing that being part of a mob wasn't where they wanted to be.

Their actions didn't fool Poppy one bit. With a sinking heart, Poppy knew from the way some of her people were still sneaking furious glances behind her, that it was far likelier they were more disturbed that they had upset her than for the fact that they had tried to kill a troll for just walking down the street.

Shifting tactics, Poppy gave them a look of deep sadness and disappointment as she spread out her arms to indicate the entire crowd. “Guys! You just tried to kill Riff for being born a Rock Troll! We're supposed to be the most loving, the most kind, the most joyous creatures in the world! But being here today, you'd never know it”

“But he's not a Pop Troll-!”

“Pop..Rock?”, Poppy interrupted the anonymous voice from the crowd.

Artfully keeping her people's attention, the pink female walked back to Riff who was standing there bloody and shaken. He gave her a small nervous smile before he turned his attention back to the spellbound crowd, bright blue eyes scanning for danger from the shadows of his hat. She gently laid her hand on his arm and turned back to the crowd.

“Look at him...he is one of us. What differences do you see?”, Poppy said imploringly to the crowd. “We both love music! We both have families, friends, and communities that we love so very much! We're all trolls guys! Our differences may make us stronger, but our commonalities also bind us together!”

A change came over the crowd at her words, their expressions softening as they started to murmurer among themselves. Then, one by one, the Pop Trolls started to come forward and apologize. 

Poppy gave a small sigh of relief as she pulled Riff close behind her in a bizarre reversal of the first night they met. While she thanked each troll that approached, she refused to look at the situation through rose-colored glasses. She knew her speech most likely hadn't changed many of her people's minds, but if she had opened the hears of even just a few then it was enough for her today.

When the last Pop Troll had spoken to her, Poppy quickly went to get their attention before they wandered off in search of the next party. “Thank you for all of your apologies! I know that you guys are some of the most wonderful creatures out there! We just need to push past our hurt and treat everytroll the Pop Troll way! With love and kindness!”, she said as cheerfully as she could.

She managed to keep up the cheerful facade until the last of the mob had left and then slumped wearily against Riff as a wave of dizziness made her head spin. Belatedly, Poppy realized that after who-knows-how-many days that she'd been trapped in the ugly grasp of depression, her body and mind weren't quite up to Queen-ing such a dangerous incident. 

“You okay Queen Poppy?”, Riff asked in concerned as he shifted his weight to better support the pink female. 

The two injured trolls helped each other off of the main path and into one of the many garden areas that covered the floor of her village. Riff carefully helped the Pop Queen sit by one of the stargazer bushes that dotted that part of Pop Village before standing protectively over her, too nervous and in too much pain to sit down.

“Yeah”, Poppy wearily replied as she closed her eyes and leaned backwards into the plush leaves. “I'd hoped you'd been exaggerating what happened, but if anything, I think it's worse. How could I have missed this? Hatred, Xenophobia, Racism? This isn't the Pop Troll way!”

“Well, I'm sure you've been super busy, what with rebuilding and everything”, the Rock Troll said kindly as he pressed his bandanna against her head wound again. “I mean, there are a lot more important things for you to worry about then us”

“Don't say that!”, she exclaimed, appalled at his causal dismissal of his horrific treatment by her people. “Every Rock Troll is just as important as any Pop Troll! There's no excuse for the way my people treat yours!”

Riff frowned and looked away as he crumpled the filthy cloth into a ball and stuffed it back into his pocket. “It's not just Pop, us Rock Trolls also have to-”

The gray male cut off in a gasp, causing Poppy to tense as she looked around wildly for any new danger. She froze when she saw Branch standing just a few feet away. The teal male was studying them with half-lidded eyes while he steepled his fingers in front of his face, deep in thought. 

To the Pop Queen's surprise, Smidge, her right-hand troll, stood hiding behind the male Pop Troll's body. As her tired mind tried to make sense of her friend's strange behavior, the yellow female poked her head out from behind Branch's body and gave her a look of such misery and guilt that Poppy know instantly what had happened. Smidge had gone to Branch, not to help her or save her from the mob, but to tell him that she had brought Riff back into the village.

When Branch had noticed that he had both trolls attention, he dropped his hands to his sides and gave Poppy an eerie smile.

“Don't you think that you were a little hard on them Poppy?”, he asked her condescendingly. “It's not like they did anything wrong” He gestured to Riff, who bared his teeth in warning. “I mean, come on! We lived with them for over three weeks! They're animals Poppy! They live underground in burrows, they sleep in giant dogpiles, they like to fight. They eat with their hands for crying out loud!. You wouldn't let an unmuzzled tarantacapuffacus walk down the streets of Pop Village and you certainly shouldn't let an unrestrained Rock Troll walk down them either”

Poppy could only stare at the teal male in horror, his words making her feel sick to the soul. It was almost like she had fallen through one of the many wormholes that dotted their land and wound up in a world where whatever values she held most dear had become sick and twisted. 

Riff stormed past her and over to the male Pop Troll who crossed his arms and regarded him with detached amusement. Growling loudly, the gray male jabbed his finger into the other troll's chest.

“You're the sick fuck that needs to tied up, bro, not us! Where's Barb? What are you doing to her!”

Branch looked at the taller male, no longer amuse and slapped his hand away. “Don't you point your finger at me 'bro'”, he seethed as he narrowed his eyes. “And you better shut your mouth before I do worse things to you than tie you up. As for your girlfriend, I'm afraid she's no longer your concern.”

“BRANCH!”, Poppy shouted in rebuke as Riff went to punch the male Pop Troll in the face.

Branch easily avoided the shaky blow and taking advantage of the gray male's exhaustion, darted in and gave him a hard punch to the kidney. The Rock Troll screamed in agony as he went down like a ton of rocks.

Poppy shrieked in fear as she struggled to her feet and ran to where Riff lay rolling round in agony on the grass. Swiftly kneeling down, she wrenched his hands away from his side and gently felt the area, making sure nothing had ruptured. When she didn't find anything too worrying, she glared up at Branch who was back to watching her with a inscrutable expression.

“Branch”, she said flatly. “We need to talk. Now.”

Riff suddenly grabbed he wrist, surprising her. “Let me go with you”, he rasped weakly. “Please!”

The pink female simply patted his hand and gave him a gentle smile. “Don't worry Riff. You need to rest. I'll find a way to make him let you see Barb”

The gray male shook his head wildly as he went back to clutched his side. “That's not it Poppy! I'm scared for you!”

Poppy felt a sudden wave cold setting into her bones as he looked at her with anxious blue eyes. Branch had hurt a lot of people and had a lot of horrible beliefs about Rock Trolls, but he'd never hurt her before. She knew he wouldn't start now, right?

“It'll be okay Riff, I promise”, she told her friend warmly before she looked over at Smidge who was still guiltily hiding behind Branch. “Smidge will take you straight to Doctor Moonbloom so she can take care of your injuries. Then she's going to find you something to eat and a new change of clothes”

The Rock Troll looked like he wanted to argue but remained silent on the subject as he sat up with a grunt of pain. Satisfied that he most likely wouldn't follow her, she turned back to her Right-Hand Troll who had finally crept out from the other troll's shadow and was looking down at her feet.

“Treat Riff like you would treat me and make sure he stays safe Smidge”, the Pop Queen said coldly as she took Branch by the elbow and started to walk toward her pod. “And the next time you feel the need to go and tattle on me, please remember that I'm the one who's Queen”

OOOOO

Poppy was shaking with nerves by the time the two trolls reached her bright pink pod. As much as she wanted Branch's side of the story, she wasn't sure she was ready to hear what he had to say. Carefully closing the door behind them, she walked over to her pink plush couch and sat down. When the teal male just stood there, watching her coldly with crossed arms, the Pop Queen patted the seat next to her until he reluctantly sat as well.

“Branch”, Poppy said with trepidation. “Riff's been telling me some awful things about you”

The male Pop Troll rolled his eyes and laid his arm across the back of her couch as he got comfortable. “You know that Rock Trolls are liars Poppy, but out of curiosity, what did that he say exactly”, he smirked, amused.

“He said that you raped Barb. Twice”, Poppy said in a small voice as looked at the teal male through her wispy pink bangs. She still desperately clung to the hope that what had happened to Barb hadn't been Branch's doing, but some other sick troll's in a case of tragic mistaken identity.

“Oh that!”, Branch said as he waved his hand in air dismissively. “Yeah, I did”

Suddenly Poppy didn't know if she wanted to puke, faint, or punch the other Pop Troll in the face as Branch began to laugh.

“I wish you could have been there Poppy! The first time I raped her was right after we had our big fight. She was so wild, so beautiful. I knew that I had to pull out all the stops if I wanted to completely crush both her body and her mind. Gods, the look on her face when I held her down and jammed my cock up inside of her! She was so scared! She begged me to stop, did you know that? That's all I had to do to show that bitch who was boss!”

“B-But y-you said that s-she came on to you!”, Poppy managed to whisper as the sheer wrongness of what she was hearing seemed to freeze her to her seat.

The teal male laughed again as he got up and started to pace. “That bitch sure did! You should have seen the way she had her legs spread open wide after I knocked her unconscious! It was an open invitation Poppy! That's not even talking about those breasts she had out on display! Come on, how could she not have wanted it?”

Poppy watched in horror as he shook his head and smiled smugly as he relived the memories in his mind. She tried to think of something, anything she could say, but her mind didn't seem to want to work as it tried to understand the sheer evil and brutality of the event that the other Pop Troll talked about so fondly.

“The second time was even better”, Branch continued as he watched her with amusement. “It was right after my little whore got out of the hospital. I had stolen some of the Rocker clothing that those trolls loved so much and had staked out her offices. It was such a brilliant plan Poppy! With my darker coloring, no one even gave me a glance, much less asked why I was there!”

“I had to wait until her little fuck-boy went home for the night and then I ambushed her in her office. I had been hoping that the bitch would behave and cooperate once she'd realized that I'd claimed her, but Rock Trolls are incredibly stupid. She put up more of a fight than I thought that she could with all of her injuries. But that wasn't the best part Poppy! I was worried that I'd have to fight her the entire time, but I got her to behave thanks to you!

“Me...?”, Poppy whispered in horror as she thought what her beloved friend had gone through.

“Yes, you!”, Branch said brightly as he began to pace again, lost in his memories. “I was wrestling with her on the floor when you and Riff decided to come looking for the bitch. I could see how desperately she wanted to call out for help, but of course I couldn't have that. All I had to do was tell her that seeing us like that would completely destroy you. I'll admit that I hadn't realized how much she loved you Poppy until I saw her face just crumple in despair. The best part was that I was right. When you found out about us, you just threw your friend away and collapsed into a fit of the grays”

The realization of what she'd done, of how much she must have hurt Barb when she had rejected her in the bunker, energized the Pop Queen. She sprang to her feet and stormed over to Branch and took a swing at his face in a clumsy punch. The teal male caught it easily and gave her a dirty look before he shoved her hard, making her fall backwards. Poppy windmilled her arms and barely managed to catch herself on the arm of the couch before she hit her head on the floor.

“You're a monster”, she growled hostility as she glared up at him.

“Oh, get off your high-horse Poppy”, he snapped scornfully as he shook his head. “She's only a Rock Troll. Besides, have you really looked at her? With a body and a head of hair like hers, it was like she was created to be some male's fucktoy!”

“Don't you see what you're doing is wrong!?”, Poppy pleaded as she desperately tried to get through to Branch. “Barb's a troll, just like us and she's an amazing person! She doesn't deserve what you're doing to her!”

The male Pop Troll just flicked his hair dismissively at her as he watched her climb back to her feet. “Don't judge me until you give her a go. The way she moves when we fuck, the way she deepthroats me even when she can't breathe. She's fucking amazing Poppy! All I had to do was train her for the last week or so. She'll let me do anything to her now!”

As Branch's horrific description sunk in, Poppy angrily stalked towards, who stood his ground. Everything in her life was coming unraveled. Her people had become creatures she didn't even recognize, Branch had become a monster and because she hadn't learned a damn thing during the String War, she hadn't listened to Barb and had consigned her to a life of living hell.

“What happened to you Branch? You raped Barb until she broke! That isn't right! That isn't fair! You have to let her go!, the Pop Queen snarled acerbically as she poked Branch hard in the chest .

“You want to know what happened to me Poppy? Do you really want to know”, Branch ranted angrily, the change in his tone so abrupt that it caused the pink female to back up in surprise.

“Fine”, he snarled at her, making her fear for her safety for the first time since she'd known him. “I'll tell you all about what happened to me and then we'll see what's 'fair'. Do you think it was 'fair' for a toddler to be torn from his mother's arms and then be forced to watch as some monster bit her head off right in front of his eyes? Do you think it's 'fair' that he got to watch same thing happen to his Grandmother two years later?”

“How was it 'fair' when the other trolls celebrated and sang they ignored that same child because his issues and fears intruded on their ability to have a good time. Tell me how it was 'fair' that that same little boy had to lie on the ground every night, curled up into a ball while he cried in agonizing terror and despair UNTIL HE DUG A HOLE IN THE GROUND SO HE COULD FEEL SAFE! Did anyone care about 'fair' when those trolls left that little boy alone, isolated, and terrified UNTIL HE BECAME ME!

Poppy nervously watched Branch picked up a ceramic vase he'd made for her and examine it for a second before threw it at her pod's wall, barely missing her head. Looking at the shattered vase and her former boyfriend in disbelief, the pink female collapsed on her couch as she realized that she should have heeded Riff's advice and brought someone with her.

Branch paused for a moment, not even acknowledging what had just happened, as he shook like a leaf before he steeled himself visibly and continued.

“The only fairness I've ever gotten IN MY WHOLE GODDMANED LIFE was when I made it fair. I've tried doing things the 'troll' way and the only thing it's EVER DONE was make my life miserable. It just points out how I'm too damaged to ever fit into normal Pop Troll life.”

He paused and looked over at Poppy who was huddled on the couch, watching him fearfully. She went rigid as their eyes met, never having seen such anger and pain in any creature before in her life. The sheer intensity of it took her breath away. Then it suddenly all those emotions seem to drained away, making the male Pop Troll look old and tired.

“So yeah”, he muttered to her shakily, his eyes unnaturally bright. “I decided to make 'fair' work in my favor for once and went out and found a beautiful female troll who I made mine by any means necessary. And she is mine Poppy. I'm never going to let Barb go, so you might as well get used to it” 

Feeling completely exhausted, both mentally and physically, Poppy got up from the couch and walked over to the door of her pod. Opening it, she regarded the male Pop Troll tiredly.

“That's why I can't be your friend anymore Branch”, she told the stunned male who looked at her in disbelief. 

“Poppy-!”, he breathed as the Pop Queen shook her head.

“Please leave”

Branch snarled at her in anger and for a moment, Poppy was sure he was going to attack her. He seemed to wrestle with the idea himself before he angrily stalked out the door, jerking it from her grip and slamming it shut.

Finally alone, Poppy threw herself on her couch and cried heartbrokenly as her world continued to crumble and burn all around her.


	7. It Can't Rain All The Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poppy's hard at work, trying her best to find a way to help Barb without having much luck. Although Riff is helping her the best that he can, nothing she can think of is of any use. But when a friend comes to her aid at the marketplace, Poppy might just have found just the person she needs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this chapter include: Rape, violence, creepy assholes, life or death situations, and Branch being a dick. Please note that anything the characters say or do are not a reflection of my thoughts or beliefs. 
> 
> There are more mentions of events that happened in Trolls: The Beat Goes On. You don't need to have seen any of the show, but I'm sure it would make more sense if you have. There is a first mention of the unique and fun way that my baby trolls develop in their mother. There will be an in depth explanation in a later chapter. I've been up all night editing, so I'll write better notes later. I hope.

We walked the narrow path, beneath the smoking skies  
Sometimes you can barely tell the difference between darkness and light   
Do you have faith in what we believe?  
The truest test is when we cannot, when we cannot see

I hear pounding feet in the   
In the streets below, and the   
And the women crying and the  
And the children know that there  
That there's something wrong  
And it's hard to believe that  
Love will prevail  
~It Can't Rain All The Time (Jane Siberry)

OOOO

Poppy screamed hysterically as she pulled her bright pink hair in frustration before collapsing bonelessly onto the large ancient book she'd been reading.

She had spent the four days going over every legal textbooks she could find in Pop Village. She had started with the few law scrapbooks that they kept in the village library, only to find that they supported Branch's claim on Queen Barb and contained nothing that would work in her favor. After hitting that dead end, she had moved on to the more technical pop-up books that were kept in the royal archives, only to run into the exact same problem.

After exhausting those avenues of research, the Pop Queen was only left with one other option. She'd had to go down into the Hall of the Ancients, a creepy tomb like catacomb located just outside of Bergen Town, and brought back the large legal textbooks of her ancestors. The pink female had only been there once before, but after coming back out a second time, she decided that the two visits were two too many. The dead didn't like to be disturbed and she wholeheartedly agreed with them.

Completely undeterred by the horrific journey, Poppy had happily slid the books from her pack and had gone to open them, only to freeze as the very strangeness of the books themselves made shivers run up and down her spine. Instead of the pages being made of felt like a proper Pop Troll book, or even the denim and leather pages that the Rock Trolls preferred, these pages had apparently been made from pulped plant fibers that had been forced to adhere to each other in some way. They didn't even contain any colorful felt and sequined images or stitched words. Just tiny script that had been stained into the very pages themselves.

Even reading the books made Poppy feel strange and uncomfortable. It was a source of pride for Pop Troll authors to narrate their books in a way that they came alive for their readers and brought a sense of enjoyment and fun. In a startling contrast, the author of these books had seemed determined to make any sense of enjoyment that came from reading the words completely accidental. The books seemed to radiate a sense of seriousness and despair that made Poppy want to wash her mind out with soap and water with each page she read.

Despite that, the Pop Queen had forced herself to read through the heavy volumes, often having to stop and look up archaic words and unfamiliar phrases, until at last, she'd reached the final page. After four days of hard work, she was right back to where she started. The laws binding pregnant females to their Trolling's sires had been created long before the splintering of the tribes and perhaps, predated the creation of the Strings themselves. There were no loopholes, no provisions for rape, incest, or even abuse.

Poppy struggled not to cry as her failure weighted on her far heavier than the burden of being the leader and caretaker of over two thousand Pop Trolls. She heard Barb's terrified terrified screams every night in her dreams, begging the pink female to not leave her behind. And every single night, dream Poppy would flounce off in a snit like a spoiled little brat, leaving one of the most bravest and most loyal friends that she hadn't even realized that she'd had, to be tortured and raped by her former boyfriend for the rest of her life.

A single tear escaped Poppy's bright pink eyes, followed by another and another as her sorrow became too much to bear. She forced herself to cry silently, her throat feeling like it was on fire, in an effort to not upset Riff who had already been through so much. The Pop Queen felt like a failure in every sense of the word.

“Queen Poppy? Are you okay?”, came Riff's kind voice as he gently squeezed her shoulder in solace.

Lifting her head from the now soggy ancient tome, Poppy gave her friend a grateful smile as the love and concern in his voice acted like a soothing balm on her damaged heart. She honestly didn't know what she'd do without the Rock Troll, who she'd become best friends with in only a handful of days. It was Riff who had been there to joke with her and cheer her up while her her other friends, the Snack Pack, seemed to be avoiding her like she had the candy-pox.

Riff had had to stay in the hospital for six days due to severe hydration, a bruised kidney, infected lacerations, and several cracked ribs due to a vicious beating he'd taken from a group of Glitter Trolls when he had tried to get food the second day after Branch had stolen Barb away. While Dr. Moonbloom had been kind to the Rock Troll, many of her nurses hadn't been, as evidenced by the severe bruising around his IV and injection sites that were just now beginning to heal.

What amazed the Pop Queen was that after all the horrific treatment he'd suffered at the hands of her people, Riff didn't seem to hold a grudge. When she'd asked him how he couldn't hate her entire race after all that had happened, the gray male had just smiled at her and shook his head. “Yeah, those dudes who went after me were pretty fucked up and stuff, but hate all Pop Trolls? Poppy, how can I hate people I don't even know?”

Unfortunately, the Rock Troll's beliefs weren't shared by a large number of trolls in Pop Village, included a small group of about ten trolls who had taken to following her and Riff around when they left her pod. Although they hadn't done anything other than mutter darkly amongst themselves, they were obviously waiting for Poppy to leave the gray male by himself. Every time the Pop Queen had tried to cheerfully disband the group while telling them how amazing Riff and the other Rock Trolls were, the offenders would smile and nod and then be clustered back together just a few minutes later.

Afraid for his safety, Poppy had nervously asked Riff what his plans were. While she knew that her friend would be much safer in his own kingdom, a selfish part of her wanted the Rock Troll to stay with her so she wouldn't be alone. Much to her relief and secret delight, Riff had told her that he had wanted to stay in Pop Village while they tried to figure out some way to rip his precious Barb free from Branch's grasp.

As she eagerly accepted Riff's embarrassed request to crash on her couch, the Pop Queen had had to ignore her small inner voice that lamented that her pod was literally the only safe place for him in all of Pop Village. He'd been an exemplary house guest in the four days he'd been there, helping her when she needed it, giving her space when she didn't, and entertaining her with stories of his and Barb's adventures they'd had as children. After hearing just a few of his tales, the pink female had been amazed at how either Rock Troll had managed to live long enough to make it to adulthood 

One thing Poppy had quickly learned about Riff was that he loved to clean. The next morning after the Rock Troll had started living with her, she awoke to find her pod had been thoroughly cleaned from top to bottom, something it had sorely needed after her struggle with depression. He hadn't stopped there. He had also cleaned, mended, and pressed all of her clothing.

Desperately trying to hind her chagrin at failing to keep her living space clean, the Pop Queen had cheerfully reminded Riff that he was her guest and wasn't expected to do anything. He had just shrugged told her that if he were back home with Barb, it'd be what he would be doing anyway. Not only was he Barb's Right-Hand Troll, like Smidge was to her, he and his family helped the Queen take care of her father.

He'd laughed when he told Poppy that during the Rock Queen's many tours, although everyone was expected to pitch in with the cleaning, he always ended up doing his share of the work and Barb's as well. It wasn't that she didn't try to do her fair share, she did. She was just terribly bad at anything she found boring, like washing dishes and folding laundry. The more she tried, the more likely she'd lose her temper and cause him to have to buy a new set of dishes. So it was just easier in the long run to secretly redo the chores after she'd finished them and call it a night.

Although Riff acted cheerful and lighthearted around her most of the time, Poppy could see the act for what it was. Beneath his happy go lucky facade lay a troll who was in horrible pain. She'd heard him sobbing at night after he thought she'd gone to sleep, completely heartbroken as he moaned Barb's name in despair and viciously berated himself for failing to protect her. 

Poppy's wandering mind snapped back to attention just as Riff's smile faltered and he started fumbling at the pockets in his shredded jeans. “Um, uh, just hold on a sec”, he mumbled as he pulled his red bandanna free and offered it to her.

She stared at it confused until Riff gave her a sheepish smile and vaguely gestured at her face. “You, uh, you got a little something on your face there”

Confused, the Pop Queen wiped around her nose and mouth and gasped when she saw the amount of snot and tears that coated the once clean cloth. Feeling her face heat up, she looked over at the gray male, completely mortified, as he covered his mouth as he started to giggle.

“Oh no, Riff! You just washed this! I'm so sorry”, the pink female exclaimed as she covered her eyes with her hands and leaned back in her chair. “And completely embarrassed. Can't forget embarrassed!”

“Don't sweat it”, Riff said, still laughing as he waved his hand. “Nobody cries pretty. You should see how dirty my bandannas get when Barb cleans herself up! Smokey-eye makeup Is a real bitch to get out of cotton!”

Sobering at the mention of his beloved's name, Riff peered at Poppy somberly from under his oversized stocking cap. “Um, I take it that you didn't find anything, what with the, you know, crying and everything?”

Disheartened, the Pop Queen sighed as she carefully folded the bandanna, clean side facing out, and handed it to Riff as she tried to come up with something positive to say. The Rock Troll looked at the folded cloth for a second before he stuffed it back into his pocket with a shrug. 

Not finding any kind of silver lining, the pink female could only be brutally honest.“I learned that the ancient troll leaders were a bunch of sexist jerks”, she told him despondently. “But nothing that can help us”

Just then, Poppy's hug time bracelet chimed, causing the beautiful glowing flower to bloom. She sniffed sadly as she dully looked at the happy little flower, not really feeling the joy it normally gave her. Covering her bracelet with her hand the pink female looked back up at Riff who gave her a tearful smile and opened his arms wide.

“Hug time?”, he whispered in invitation.

Poppy regarded the Rock Troll in stunned silence for a moment before she whimpered brokenly and threw herself out of the chair and into the arms of her friend.

“I'm so sorry Riff”, Poppy wailed as tears poured down her face once again. “I should have known something was wrong. She tried to tell me, but I wouldn't listen. Now she's down there and it's all my fault! And-and I'm too stupid to know what to do and I'm such a bad friend!”

“Shh shh”, Riff whispered soothingly as he gently stroked her dark pink hair. “It's okay. It's not your fault”

Poppy shakily pulled away enough to look at him with wide manic filled pink eyes. “No! Don't you see? I could have ordered him to let her go! I could have saved her! I-”

“Couldn't have done a fucking thing”, the Rock Troll interrupted smoothly as he pulled her back into their hug. “If Branch won't listen to you now, there's no chance he would have then. Most likely he'd have hurt you and did stuff like to you like he's doing to my Barb. All he'd have to say is you got eaten by a slug or whatever”

The Pop Queen laid her head against Riff's wiry chest as she stared wide-eyed off into the distance as cold numbing fear filled her very soul. 'Branch wouldn't do that me', she thought to herself, unconvincingly. 'I mean, he did throw a vase at me, but was it really AT me?' The pink female shuddered hard when that excuse rang even more hollow than the first had.

The two friends hugged each other in companionable silence until Poppy had finally cried herself out. Hiccuping, she looked up at Riff's kind face, and was fervently relieved to see that he didn't seem to be the least bit annoyed at having to hold an over-emotional Pop Troll as she cried and snotted into his shirt for a better part of fifteen minutes. Giving the gray male a bright smile, the Pop Queen pulled out of the hug, suddenly feeling much better.

“Thank you for not hating me Riff”, she whispered sincerely.

Riff laughed loudly at the thought. “I can't hate you Queen Poppy! You're one of the most awesome trolls I know!”

“Well then, thank you for the extra-long hug. I know hugging isn't really a Rock Troll thing”

The gray male shrugged as he gave her a smile back. “Maybe, but it's really cool and stuff. Maybe the others might like it too, or something? I bet Barb would be a good hugger!”

Poppy blushed hotly as the look on Riff's face showed that his thoughts definitely didn't stop at just hugging his beloved Rock Queen. She quickly deciding to interrupt the Rock Troll's thoughts before they both ended not being able to look each other in the eye.

“Um Riff”, she called out cheerfully, still blushing bright pink. “I need to go out and check on the village and hopefully clear my head enough so I can get some new ideas. Do you need anything?”

The Rock Troll jerked as he was jolted from his pleasant daydream and gaped at the pink female in mortification when realized that Poppy knew what he had been fantasizing about. Blushing hotly himself, he spun around to walk into the kitchen nook and hit her flower-shaped dining table instead.

“Oooff!”, he exclaimed as he slammed his thighs into the solidly felted piece of furniture and fell, landing on top of the wide surface in an ungainly sprawl. He lay there stunned for a second before he let his head fall on the table with a thunk. 

“Awwww maaaan”, he whispered to himself as he pulled his hat down over his eyes.

Poppy couldn't keep back a giggle. “You okay there buddy?”

“Um, yeah. I'm good”, her friend said as he tried to save what little dignity he had left.

“Need anything?”, the Pop Queen prompted again.

“Some more meat would be nice”, Riff called back as he slipped off of the table without looking at her and all but ran into the kitchen.

“Sure thing!”, Poppy called out cheerfully as she picked up the colorful woven basket she used when she went to the market as well as a packet of felt scrapbooking figures that she hand-crafted herself to use for barter.

The pink female paused as she opened the door and smiled as she heard the Rock Troll start cleaning the lunch dishes. Unable to resist lovingly teaseing her friend, she called out in a sing-song voice, “Just do me a favor and clean up any messes you make while you're fantasizing about Barb!”

Riff's cry of pure horror put a spring in Poppy's step as she left her pod.

OOOO

If there was one thing she'd learned about Rock Trolls after having Riff as a house guest was that they ate a great deal of protein, far more than what a Pop Troll normally would. When she'd asked the gray male about it, he had shrugged and told her that in the harsh volcanic lands of the Kingdom of Hard Rock, plants had always been more of a luxury to his people. Their normal diet mainly consisted of bugs, meat, eggs, milk, and occasionally fish.

While the extreme shift in diet had been hard for the original Rock Trolls to adjust to, over time Riff's people grew to thrive on their protein rich diet and did very poorly when forced to try to subsist on just sweets and plant matter. It had been one of the reasons why Riff had been hospitalized as long as he had. Ten days or so in a land where most of the food was stuff you couldn't digest well would wreak havoc on any troll's body. Provided of course that the other trolls didn't try and kill you for getting something to eat first.

Fortunately, that was easily remedied by going to the market and making sure the pantry and icebox remained full of the things Riff was able to eat. Being able to do something, anything to help at least one of her Rock Troll friends caused the Pop Queen to want to burst into song. As the pink female looked around at her beautiful village, she felt a burst of inspiration and joy and decided to give in to her impulse.

Poppy started her musical number by striking the required pose, signaling to the Pop Trolls around her that she was about to begin. Then, using subtle movements of her hair, she communicated the timing, key, and most importantly, the genre of music she was about to perform. The pink female smiled as her trolls started murmuring quietly to themselves at her unusual request. She was about to go multi-cultural on their asses.

Finally ready, the Pop Queen started by snapping her fingers to the beat and whistled the tune. When it sounded right, she opened her mouth and began to sing.

“Here's a little song I wrote  
You might want to sing it note for note  
Don't worry, be happy!

In every life we have some trouble  
But when you worry, you make it double  
Don't worry, be happy!

Don't worry, be happy now~!”

As Poppy sang and danced, putting as much effort into her choreography as she was putting in to getting the sound just right, she thought back to when she had first learned the happy song. It had been during her last week in Volcano Rock City when the tribal leaders had gotten together to do a song exchange.

Queen Essence had picked the song especially for her, knowing that the Pop Queen would love it due to its happy lyrics. She had told her that while it wasn't funk, it was from one of the splinter groups that peacefully lived among her people about their giant spaceship, “Vibe City”. Poppy had fallen in love with it instantly, but with all of the darkness in her life lately, this was the first chance she'd gotten to sing it.

To Poppy's amazement and joy, her Pop Trolls were smiling at each other and asking when they could join in with little flicks of their hair. When she got to the chorus, she gave them a little nod and smiled as they added their own spin to the song.

“Don't worry!”  
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh oo-ooh ooh oo-ooh) “Be happy!”  
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh oo-ooh ooh oo-ooh) “Don't worry, be happy!”  
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh oo-ooh ooh oo-ooh) “Don't worry!”  
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh oo-ooh ooh oo-ooh) “Be happy!”  
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh oo-ooh ooh oo-ooh) “Don't worry, be happy!”

More and more Pop Trolls came and joined in, attracted to the strange rhythm and happy lyrics, as the Pop Queen danced and sung her way to the marketplace. Soon all the trolls that she could see were singing, dancing, and having a great time, which was exactly what she had been going for.

Poppy was completely out of breath and lightheaded by the time the happy flash mob had finally reached her destination. Wearily giving the sign that this was to be the last verse, she made sure to give it her all and make it a good one.

“Don't worry!”  
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh oo-ooh ooh oo-ooh) “It will soon pass, whatever it is”  
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh oo-ooh ooh oo-ooh) “Don't worry, be happy!”  
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh oo-ooh ooh oo-ooh) “I'm not worried, I'm happy!”

The Pop Queen ended the last line with a back-flip with just a bit of spin to it before making a perfect landing with her hands outstretched in the air. She held her pose for an extra two measures for emphasis before signaling the song was over. All of the assembled multicolored trolls burst out in spirited cheers and applause.

Breathing hard, the pink female doubled over as she tried to catch her breath. Dance numbers were normally tiring if you did them right, but with all the extra effort she'd put into trying to help her people understand and enjoy a different tribe's music, it had been quiet the mental and physical workout! She honestly had no idea why some trolls thought her job was so easy. Finally, when she no long felt like she was going to pass out, the Pop Queen skipped happily inside the market's gates.

The early summer's heat was brutal, even this late in the afternoon, causing trolls to cluster around whatever shade there was to be had in the open glade. Poppy fanned herself with her hand in a futile effort to cool off as she walked and thanked the Gods of Pop that her sweat smelled like sweet bubblegum. 

It was a peculiarity of their entire species that every troll had their own unique scent that usually mimicked the smells of foods, flowers, or other such pleasant odors. They usually manifested sometime around a baby's first birthday and couldn't be changed, only covered up. She'd noticed that Riff smelled like toasted marshmallows and Barb... Underneath the volcanic sulfur smell that got into the soft fuzz of every troll in the Hard Rock Kingdom, Barb had smelled of fresh strawberries.

The Pop Queen unconsciously rubbed her arm as she remembered just how Barb had reacted when she'd told the other queen what she'd discovered. At the time, she'd been deeply hurt when the purple female had only glared at her and punched her in the shoulder. But looking back at the incident with the knowledge she'd gained from Riff, she remembered Barb's little smile, her brightly flushed cheers, and the amusement in the Rock Queen's pink eye, Poppy suddenly realized that she hadn't understood what had happened between them at all.

Sighing heavily and vowing to only worry about one thing at a time, Poppy hurried through the marketplace. While there were plenty of stalls for cream, fruit, flour, glitter, and felt, only a few trolls sold meat from actual animals. Intent on her mission, the pink female passed by the scrapbooking supplies with only one look of longing, various cages filled with glowflies and other such vendors until she finally reached goal.

Looking around, Poppy saw that the egg farmers were extremely busy as always. Most of the confections that Pop Trolls loved required at least a few hummingbird or quail eggs after all. Unfortunately, so was the section that sold poultry and fish, which meant that Riff would get red meat for the next few days. Not wanting to be away from her friend for long, just in case any troll got the idea to violate her home's sanctity and go after him, Poppy went to the closest booth that sold what she wanted.

As she approached the booth, she saw that it was run by a green male hamster rancher named Hoppers. Other than the his name and those of his family, the pink female didn't know much else about him other than he provided much of the hamster meat and leather the village consumed. The reclusive trolls lived on the outskirts of Pop Village and spent most of their time in the underground warrens managing their hamster nests.

Waving to the large Pop Troll, Poppy practically danced in excitement over to his large booth and eagerly looked through the large stacks of tanned leather and butchered meat packed in ice. She easily calculated the area inside of her icebox as she started a metal checklist of the cuts and quantity that would fit inside. The pink female wanted to get as much protein as possible while leaving just enough room for milk, eggs and other essentials.

Surprisingly, a lot of the Pop Queen's duties involved math in one form or another. Everything from composing sheet music, to how many trolls could safely fit inside of a concert venue, to how many metric tons of foodstuffs were needed to feed her people from year to year, were her responsibility to either work out for herself, or for her to double check the work of others. Luckily, she absolutely loved math, finding the complex calculations to be relaxing after a hard day full of whimsical fun and happy chaos.

After comping up with a total that she liked, Poppy started to pull out various tanned hides in order to inspect their quality. She knew that Riff's people loved to wear clothing made from leather and denim, and she hoped that with the right materials, her friend might be able to make something for him to wear. The Rock Troll had admitted that he knew how to sew when Poppy had brought out her scrapbooking supplies for the evening's entertainment. Apparently while all Rockers knew at least the basics, as you never knew when you'd need to fix a seam while on tour, Riff had taken it one step further and actually helped make some of Barb's elaborate costumes.

The problem was that Riff hadn't packed for an extended trip before he left Volcano Rock City, and what he did have had been mostly destroyed by the angry mobs that had tried to kill him before she had intervened. Smidge had gone above and beyond in trying to find something a Rock Troll would wear, but all she could find were clothing made by Pop Trolls in an intentional mockery and a subtle condemnation of his people's fashion. Riff had slipped them on without complaint and thanked Poppy profusely, she knew that the constant reminder of her people's hatred ate at him.

After selecting several great pieces of leather, Poppy waved to the rancher to let him know she was ready to buy as he finished up with another customer. She was unprepared for the look of disapproving disgust that she got in return, causing her to feel as if he'd physically struck her instead. As the muscular male troll finished his sale, the Pop Queen went over any and everything that she could have done in the past weeks that could have made him so angry with her. Finding nothing, she had no choice but to wait until he finished his sale and told her what she'd done wrong.

The green hamster rancher was tall for a Pop Troll, even taller than Biggie, with muscles to match from working long hours with his nests of hamsters in their underground burrows. His long dark orange hair was pulled down in a loose ponytail to accommodate a large hat that looked so much like Hickory's, that she'd swear the Pop Troll had stolen it off of the Yodeller's head. He seemed even taller to Poppy, as he stormed over and glowered down at her sternly with folded arms, making the Pop Queen feel like a Trolling who had been snaking on cupcakes before a party.

“Mornin' Miss Poppy”, he rumbled in a deep voice as he regarded her with a faint frown. “I'm afraid I've got a problem.” He sighed and rolled his eyes when Poppy instantly brightened and started bouncing on the balls of her feet, eager to help. “My problem is with you”, he clarified with a snort.

The pink female looked at him mystified and more than a little hurt. “I'm sorry Hoppers”, she told him politely. “I'm afraid I don't know what I did to upset you, but I'm more than happy to find a solution if you'd like to tell me about it.”

The tall male's stern expression changed into an affectionate smile before he gestured over to his meat cases. “I take it that you're here to buy meat for your pet Rock Troll you've been keepin' in your pod?”

Poppy bristled in anger, her dark pink hair standing out in small needle like spikes, as she fought to control her emotions. “Yes, the meat is for Riff. And he isn't a pet, he's my friend!”

“Sweetheart”, Hoppers sighed as he suddenly began to card his hand through her still spiky hair. “I know you mean well, but Rock Trolls aren't like us. They're dangerous, vicious creatures that would sooner turn on you than look at you.”

Feeling suddenly cold and more than a little violated, Poppy tore her hair free from the rancher's grasp and backed slowly away. Playing with another troll's hair was a deeply personal act, usually only done between family members, lovers, or close friends. The only other circumstance where hair play was viewed as acceptable was when an adult did so to small Trollings as a sign of affection or an attempt at comfort. No matter which way the rancher had intended her to take his touch, it was unwelcome in every way possible.

The blue Pop Troll gave her a brief look of hurt and disappointment before he glaring at her sternly. “You have to see the bigger picture here, Poppy. Keeping that male in your pod is just asking for trouble. After all, you're not only an unbonded female living by herself, you're also our Queen. If that animal manages to seduce you, or heavens above, forces himself on you, we could end up with a dirty half-breed as our future ruler, and the folks around here don't like the sound of that.”

Poppy stood there stupefied, her cheeks a bright pink, as the crowd she hadn't even notice gathering started talking about her love life and whether or not she and Riff had already had sex. Then finally breaking free of her stunned silence, the Pop Queen buried her face in her hands, completely mortified as the trolls around her laughed and joked. She stayed like that for a few seconds, letting the pain and humiliation pass over her, until she was in control once again.

Giving the older troll a frigid glare, Poppy spoke with all the Queenly authority she could muster. “I'm not here for your advice Mr. Hoppers, nor do I want to hear it. As for your concerns about Riff, he is my friend and only my friend and even if he wasn't, our relationship would be no business of yours. Now, if we're done, could you please fill my order? I have a very busy schedule today.

Rather then taking the not so subtle hint, Hoppers just gave her a sympathetic look and shook his head sadly. “Look baby girl, I know you always want to see the good in people, but Rock Trolls ain't people. Ya can't be friends with them, you can only tame them.” The large green male looked away for a second, deep in thought and then suddenly brightened as he came up with an idea.

“Oh, I know!”, he exclaimed loudly as he slapped his knee in delight. “I'll just go to your pod and castrate him for you! He'd be much less dangerous pet and a whole lot happier. You could start taking him out on walks again and give people the peace of mind they really need. I can even do it right now! I have the tools in one of my crates over there.”

Poppy stared at the other Pop Troll in wide-eyed astonishment as his sick demented words seeped into her brain. Just when she'd thought that the loathsome asshole couldn't get any more disgusting, the green male had dug deep until he had found something even worse. The thought that anyone could try and justify assaulting and mutilating the sweet gentle Riff and forever ending any dreams he'd had of fathering children, made the Pop Queen violently sick to her very soul. It was unfortunately a feeling that she was starting to get used to.

Suddenly, a familiar voice cut though the horrible conversations going on around her.

“WOW! That was the most racist, the most hateful, AND the most disgusting thing I have ever heard in my whole life!”, Cooper chuckled as he suddenly appeared at Poppy's side, like he'd sprung up from the very ground itself. “It's like I won the most douche-iest game of tic-tac-toe ever, and it feels just terrible!”

“Cooper!”, Poppy cried out joyfully as she threw herself at her friend and buried her face in his fluffy pink striped fur.

Cooper, one of the Pop Queen's most closest friends, was a Funk Troll that had been dropped as an egg near Pop Village. At the time, the Pop Trolls had just escaped from the Bergen, an ogre like race that had kept them captive for generations. They had bred and cared for the Pop Trolls so that they could ritualistically eat the trolls alive in order to enjoy the chemical high they got from their small crushed and mutilated bodies. The sheer amount of suffering, the number of lives lost and families torn apart was so high that is it was incalculable.

Due to the destruction of Pop society, the knowledge of the six different tribes had been lost to the general population, leaving only the royal family to remember. The Kings and Queens of the past, knowing full well just what their betrayal had cost the other tribes, knew no one would come looking for them. So rather than letting their people live with false hope that their kin would come and rescue them, they let the knowledge fade away as they struggled to survive.

After Cooper had hatched, only her father, King Peppy, had known just what kind of troll the baby had been. The orange male had been terrified that the other tribes would come looking for the little Trolling and take what little they'd managed to rebuild if word of the Funk Troll spread out to the surrounding kingdoms. After the hardships of becoming a single father, leading his people out of the kingdom of death, and surviving the harshest winter on record, Peppy decided that it would be far safer just to have the Pop Trolls raise little Cooper as one of their own.

Poppy and the rest the Pop Trolls had only learned that the fluffy quadrupedal troll was not of Pop but of Funk during the String War. The biggest surprise though was when Cooper had turned out to be the long lost son of King Quincy and Queen essence, who had been searching for him since his egg had been stolen. Now he spent the majority of his time with his family aboard the spaceship that was the capital of the Funk Nation.

Cooper leaned into Poppy's hug and laughed before craning his long neck around until it reached her delicate pink ear.

“Don't worry Poppy, I got this”, he whispered comforting to his friend.

Surprised, the Pop Queen looked into his blue eyes and saw the brilliant intellect that the Funk Troll usually took great pains to hide. Giving him a loving smile, the pink female backed away to give him room to work.

The Funk Prince trotted forward in his carefree way until he was just a tad too close to the hamster rancher and then looked the green male in the eye.

“Okay, now do me!”, he said happily as he grinned at the now uncomfortable Pop Troll. “If Rock Trolls are dangerous stupid rapists who need body parts hacked off by strangers, what do I need!”

“Now just hold on there Cooper”, Hoppers said uncomfortably as he held out his hands in a gesture to wait. “No one's saying anything bad about you. You're one of us after all!”

“Ooooo! I get it”, the striped male laughed. “Since I was raised like you and I act like you, I get a free pass. Cool. Cool.

Hoppers and the other Pop Trolls in the crowd started laughing along with her friend, glad that the uncomfortable conversation seemed to be over. However, Poppy knew Cooper was so much smarter than to leave things at that.

The Funk Prince appeared to be thinking about what he'd said for a few seconds, his chin on one of his upraised fore paws, when he suddenly jumping up and down while he cackled like he was insane.

“I know! I'll just go get my Dad! Then you can do him instead of me!”

Dead silence fell over the marketplace as the Pop Trolls eyed each other uncomfortably. It was well known that King Quincy was a fierce and deadly fighter and not a troll to be messed with. In fact, one of the most popular scrapbooks in their library was the story of “King Quincy and the Four Rock Trolls He Disemboweled”. No Pop Troll would dare disrespect him to his face like they were happily to do to the much weaker Riff. Suddenly the crowd started to drift away as their bloodlust withered at the thought of an angry Funk King and what he'd do if his son told him about what had happened there today.

“Um, that's okay”, mumbled the rancher as he looked away from Cooper's cheerful blue gaze.

“Well, then if there's no more game, then...”, drawled the Funk Prince before he trailed off, seemingly perplexed. Suddenly he brightened and started chuckling once again. “Then maybe you should give Poppy her stuff so we can go home and make her a meat suit!”

“Feed Riff”, Poppy stage whispered to him, completely amused at how he had handled the crowd. 'Anyone who thinks Coop is stupid, deserves what they get', the pink female thought fondly as she gave the striped male another hug.

“We can go home and fee Riff”, her friend repeated with another demented chuckle before he looked at her in confusion. “Who's Riff?”

“He's a new friend”, Poppy murmured softly as she gave the Funk Prince a good scratching right where she knew he got the itchiest. “He's staying with me at my pod while I try to fix the most horrific mistake I've ever made.”

Cooper craned his long neck to the side and looked at her in astonishment and concern, causing Poppy to look away, ashamed. The large furry male heaved a deep sigh and leaned into her in his special way of hugging for a few moments before he switched back into the happy dim-witted idiot that he showed the world.

“Ooooo! A new friend AND the worst mistake of your life? We have GOT to talk girl! Hey meat guy! Can you have Queen Poppy's order delivered to her home? My whole family and I would really appreciate it!”

Hoppers looked at the two royal trolls with relief, obviously wanting the whole ordeal to be over. “Um, sure thing Cooper.”

“PRINCE Cooper!”, the Funk Prince cut in with a laugh that never seemed to touch his eyes.

“...Prince Cooper”, the green Pop Troll repeated with a hint of resentment in his voice. He gave Cooper an inscrutable look before turning to Poppy. “Just stitch out what you need and I'll make sure everything is delivered right way”, he said in a far kinder voice as he handed her some scrap felt along with a needle and thread.

Poppy stitched her list as fast as she could, just wanting to go back home and go to bed. She was more than ready for this horrible day to be over. When she was finally finished, she thrust the fabric into the rancher's hand and had to force herself to walk as she went back to stand at Cooper's side.

“Please tell your family to leave my purchases by the front door to my pod. I wouldn't want them to get hurt”, she told Hopper briskly. “How would you like me to pay my bill? I have hugs and scrapbooking materials on me right now, but if you'd rather wait, I have some rare party supplies and cloth imported from the Funk Nation back at my pod.

Most of the Pop Troll economy ran on hugs, favors, and parties, but barter, promoting goods and services, and consensual sexual acts were commonly used as well. Poppy had been intending to use hugs and bartering some of her felt scrapbook figures for what she needed, two items that she had that were always in high demand, but the thought of touching the rancher or giving him the creations that she'd put her heart and soul into making, repulsed her now. So when Hoppers waved away her words, she felt a sense of profound relief.

“Don't worry about it sweetie, I'm happy to help the royal family”, he said with that creepy familiarity that was really starting to get on the Pop Queen's nerves. “Just think on what I said. Just a quick snip and a few stitches and you'll be making a whole lot of folks sleep a whole lot better at night.”

Trying to keep herself from heaving at the thought and wondering why the tall troll was so interested in Riff's genitalia, Poppy forced herself to give the Pop Troll a sunny smile and a friendly wave as she and Cooper started to walk away. Sometimes it really sucked being Queen.

OOOO

The two friends piloted their flybugs in silence as they flew to one of their most favorite spots in the forest. Sikkerhet was an unearthly underground paradise that Poppy had discovered by accident when she was just eight years old. The pink female had been trying prove to her friends that she wasn't the just the daddy's girl they thought she was, but also a Trolling who knew how to take risks and have fun. She had stolen her father's flybug, a temperamental gruff beast that only listened to Peppy, and had attempted to fly it around the village.

The ornery creature hadn't been impressed with her inexperience and had tried to throw her off two hundred feet about the ground. When he hadn't been able to rid himself of his tiny troll passenger, the insect had taken off like a shot, flying wildly until he flew down a hidden crater and into a tiny new world. Poppy had been terrified at the time, trolls being as low on the food chain as they were, but soon discovered that she had nothing to fear.

The large land was nestled deep inside of a crater that while open to the sky, was mostly obscured by the plant life above. While there were a few places where a nimble troll could climb down to the bottom of the cavern, they were narrow and mostly protected Sikkerhet from the outside which allowed the unique plant and animal life to flourish. Surprisingly, in all the time that Poppy and her friends had spent in the beautiful cavern, they had never found a creature that considered them food.

Although it had been a hard decision at the time, Poppy had decided to only inform a few trolls of the land's existence. While her people loved new experiences and having fun, they tended to loud and exuberant, two things the animal and plant life in Sikkerhet didn't like. When Branch had become one of Poppy's closest friends, her father had had to talk her out of telling the teal male, something that had made her angry at the time. However, seeing how things had turned out, Poppy secretly wondered if her father had seen the darkness in Branch that she had refused to see.

Growing up, whenever Poppy or one of her friends who were in the know had something that troubled them, they often went to Sikkerhet so they could work things out in the safe little land. She had spent countless nights helping her friends through their first breakups, misunderstandings, and the various hardships that came with growing up. The pink female had actually spent several days camping in the crater after Creek had betrayed their entire race in order to save his own life. There was just something about the lush green world filled with wonders that felt like a soothing compress to the soul.

As Poppy and Cooper started their decent into the crater, the pink female's mind was a wild maelstrom of thoughts and emotions as she tried to find the words to tell her friend what she'd done. Although she knew it wasn't her place to tell the Funk Prince about Barb's repeated rapes and torture at Branch's hands, he'd need to know the entire situation before he could offer any advice. At this point, the Pop Queen needed all the friendly help she could get. 

Carefully landing her flybug, Poppy nimble dismounted the creature before giving it a pat as it wandered off in order to feed and rest. After making sure her mount was happy and safe, the pink female sighed heavily and slowly walked over to the crystal clear lake and sat down on the silky blue moss that grew there. Cooper followed wordlessly and laid down next to her while he patiently waited for her to speak.

The Pop Queen played with the tiny plants, keeping her head down so she wouldn't have to have to see her friend's face, as she slowly started telling her tale. She started with the fight she had with Branch by the river that had caused the teal male to go out and find Queen Barb. She told him what Branch himself had admitted doing to the purple female and what her doctors had told Riff. 

She started talking faster when she told Cooper of her happy memories of when she and the Rock Queen had bonded in the latter's bedroom. How Barb had torn all of the clothes from her closet in order to find an outfit the Poppy would feel comfortable in and how she'd let her play with her stuffed animals. Of how Barb had looked when the Rock Queen told the horrific story of how her mother died and why she'd come up with the plan to unite all of the Strings in the first place.

She talked about the concert, what she'd done and what she hadn't, and the regrets she had regarding both. She talked about Spruce and how he'd straight up told her what he'd done to Barb and how she'd ignored it. She laughed as she talked about meeting Riff for the first time and their narrow escape. How she'd never checked on Barb until the night when Branch had used it to his advantage to brutal rape Barb a second time. How she'd just left, feeling everything was fine when her friend's whole world was fall apart.

Finally she got to what was going currently going on. How Branch had impregnated Barb and hidden her away in his bunker to torture and assault whenever he got the whim. How she had refused to listen to the Rock Queen as she'd cried and begged her to listen and how she'd stormed out, so lost in her own hurt that she never thought of anyone else. Then she told of the xenophobia and racism of the Pop Trolls, how they had attempted to kill Riff for just being a Rock Troll. 

Cooper listened intently the entire time, not saying a word other than the occasional “dang”, as she told her story. When the pink female finished she heaved a huge sigh and nervously looked up at the other troll's face, afraid of what she'd see. To her surprise, she only saw compassion and love in the Funk Prince's blue eyes.

“Daaaaannnng Poppy!”, he whispered almost reverently. “When you said you were having problems, you were NOT kidding! It makes my 'fish out of water' escapades amongst my people seem like a comedy! Which it was!”

Poppy laughed as she leaned over to give the pink striped male a hug. “Thank you Cooper! You always know just what to say.” Giving a huge sigh, the Pop Queen pulled away and looked down into her lap as she played with her fingers. “I wish I did. I've read through every law book we have and it just reinforces Branch's claim on Barb. I just don't know how to fix this. ”

“That is a problem”, her friend drawled as he put his chin on one of his forepaws as he thought. “If only we had Chummy Sparklestone, master detective, here! He'd know what to do.”

His comment caused the Pop Queen to cheer up slightly. “You know, I was never fooled by your Chummy act”, she admitted with a mischievous grin. “I could still tell that you were still you Cooper.”

The striped male gave her a dirty look before he burst out laughing. “You knew that? Man, you are GOOD! Just don't tell the others. It ruins the mystery!”

His jovial words bothered Poppy. She'd never liked it when Cooper hid his intellect and played the fool to the amusement of his friends and fellow Pop Trolls. She had always wanted to ask him why he would do such a thing, but since the fuzzy male seemed to delight in the part he'd chosen to play, the Pop Queen had kept her questions and concerns to herself. Feeling like they had made a connection, the pink female decided that now was a good time to ask.

“Cooper”, Poppy asked hesitantly, unsure of whether or not the subject was a sore one to her friend or not. “Why do you do that? Act silly and absent minded. You're so intelligent! Why don't you let everybody else know?”

She watched fascinated as a subtle change came over the Funk Prince. It wasn't something the Pop Queen could put her finger on, but her friend suddenly seemed more regal, more mature, and much more careworn. He sighed wearily before he looked at her with sad and tired blue eyes.

“You already know why Poppy. The others, they've always seen me as the outsider, the troll that didn't fit in. When I first hatched, the adults didn't know what to make of me. I could use my hair and talk like a Pop Troll, but I had fur and walked on all fours like an animal. People weren't mean to me, not like poor Riff, but I wasn't welcome. 

My very first memory was a mom screaming at me because I tried to play with her Trolling, like if I touched him I'd make him sick or something. After a while I figured out that no one wanted the Cooper who was down with the funky beats and who could solve problem that trolls five times his age couldn't. No, what they wanted was the silly stupid Cooper who made everyone laugh and who couldn't possibly be a threat to anyone. They wanted a dumb animal and so I gave them one.”

Poppy held her hands to her mouth as she began to cry, horrified and dismayed at what she was just now learning. 'Great going Poppy', she berated herself fiercely in her mind. 'There's another friend one of your friends who was suffering and you couldn't even look past your visions of glitter and rainbows to even notice.'

“Don't cry Poppy”, Cooper consoled her gently as he nuzzled her dark pink hair. “You didn't know because I didn't want you to know. You are the happiest and most loving troll I have ever met, and trust me, after all the trolls I've met, that means something! You were my light in the darkness and I didn't want to be the one to make it go out. But you helped me through some of the worst times of my life and I'll always love you for that.”

Poppy gaped at the Funk Prince in astonishment as she dried her eyes on her skirt. “I'm so glad that I could help you Cooper”, she said softly. “And I love you too.”

Cooper happily let the pink female lay against his furry side as two friends watched a heard of dreamrunners, one-horned herbivore's that Poppy had named, drank from the lake. Although each troll was lost in their own thoughts, they still enjoyed each other's company all the same. Suddenly Cooper jumped to his feet, causing the Pop Queen to painfully hit her head on the ground.

“Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!”, Poppy exclaimed while she held her injured head. “Cooper! What's wrong!”

“I got it!”, cried Cooper happily as he danced in a circle around the pink and then stuck his face just centimeters from hers. “Your problem isn't just a friend thing, it's a Queen-thing! You need to talk to my mom! She's the smartest troll I know, AND she's a Queen!”

Poppy absolutely loved Queen Essence, Cooper's long lost mother. The older queen had taken her under her wing and had been teaching the Pop Queen all the things she'd never learned on how to be a good monarch and how to help her nation grow and thrive. While her father had done all that he could, it had been her mother that had been part of the royal line. All the of the details and nuances of being royalty and leading an entire nation had died with her at the hands of the Bergen.

She had found the Funk Queen to be a kind teacher who didn't tolerate any nonsense and expected nothing but her best. She'd studied history, genealogy, culture, music, negotiations, and other subjects every day that they'd been in the Kingdom of Hard Rock and several times after that when the Funk Family had gone to Pop Village on their first State Visit.

“You know what Coop! I think you're right!”, Poppy shouted excitedly as she jumped to her feet. “Your mom might just be the right troll to ask for help!”

OOOO

'I don't think Cooper's mom was the right troll to ask for help', Poppy thought wearily, fighting back a frustrated groan as Essence, Queen of the Funk Trolls, started into her second hour of blistering monologue.

With Barb and her unborn baby's very lives in danger, Poppy had given very little thought to how the other nations would view a Pop Troll forcibly taking the Queen of Rock as his mate. She'd hoped that after she'd told the Funk Queen about Barb's rape and torture at the hands of Branch, that the other female would be moved and come to her aid. To say that hadn't happened had been a massive understatement.

“Are you listening to me child?”, snapped the glittery female Funk Troll as she shoved her furious face into Poppy's. “Because this is going to affect you a whole lot more than it's going to affect me.”

The Pop Queen, who had been lost in thought, startled badly at the sudden intrusion and fell over backwards, chair and all. Hissing in pain as she rubbed her twice abused head, Poppy quickly scrambled off the richly carpet floor of the Funk Queen's office before staring at the older female guiltily.

“Sorry Queen Essence, ma'am”, she squeaked out respectfully as she stood ramrod straight in effort to keep her mind on the subject at hand. “Please continue!”

The blue and silver female sighed as she shook her head. “Look Poppy, I know that Queen Barb is your friend”, she said not unkindly. “But as Queen you need to focus on the bigger picture. We have a power vacuum in the Hard Rock Kingdom and whether you want to believe it or not, that is a very big deal! We may have been able to make Queen Barb see reason, but we might not be able to do so with whoever comes into power next”

Poppy stayed silent as Queen Essence paused, knowing the other queen was right. Barb wasn't the only one who was in danger the longer she was gone from her kingdom. They all were. She wasn't sure who her friend had left in charge of her kingdom, but they hadn't contacted the Pop Nation in any way since Branch had taken their Queen. Whether or not this was a good thing or not remained to be seen.

After making sure that the pink Pop Queen didn't have anything to add, the older female continued.

“Although Branch didn't technically break any of the terms stated in the treaties when he forcibly bred the Queen of Rock and took her as his mate, he did upset the balance of power between the six Troll Nations. Now I believe you when you said that you had no idea what your boyfriend was up to. I know you to be an honest troll and heavens knows that some males can only think with one head at a time and it usually isn't the one that's located in their skulls.

However, the other leaders won't be so understanding. The best outcome is that they'll believe that you sent your closest friend and ally to forcibly bind the Queen of Hard Rock to the Pop Kingdom in order to shift the balance of power in your favor. The worst is that they'll believe that you have decided to wage war on the five other tribes and the Kingdom of Hard Rock was just the first casualty of many. If that happens, you will have to face the possibility that the other Troll Nations will vote to invade Pop Kingdom and take you like Branch took Queen Barb. We Funk Trolls will stand by you as allies of course, but not even we can fight four other kingdoms at once.

As the Funk Queen went on, Poppy felt herself becoming more infuriated with every word. While the thought of another war was terrifying to the gentle and kind pink female, the fact that Essence wasn't even taking Barb and her well-being into consideration infuriated the normally cheerfully Pop Troll.

“ENOUGH!”, Poppy yelled with enough force to cause the older female to flinch away in surprise.

“I know that all of this is important!”, Poppy yelled hotly as she jerkily gestured to the large piles of documents, dossiers, and mops laid out on the Queen's large desk. “But so is Barb! She's a wonderful kindhearted woman that just wants to play her music and protect her people so they can be safe and happy. She doesn't deserve what's happened to her. She needs us to help her! To save her!

“That child is nothing but a monster!”, snapped the blue and silver female dismissively. “She deserves everything that's happened to her!”

“Essence, she was raped!”, cried Poppy, horrified at what she was hearing.

“Perhaps someone should have raped her sooner! What that girl needed was a baby or two and a firm hand in order to settle her down. Then maybe the rest of the Troll Nations could have been spared the destruction and mayhem of her “World Tour”, the Funk Queen countered back.

The Pop Queen suddenly felt like she'd fallen into a tub of ice water as she stared at the other queen in horrified astonishment.

“How can you say that?”, Poppy whispered frigidly. “I don't care what she did, Barb doesn't deserve that, no troll does! Just the violation alone is just- It eats at you, it stays with you night and day! The memories, the fear, the way it strips you of who you are! It doesn't go away! It never goes away! No matter how much you scream and you cry! How dare you. How dare you say that anyone can deserve to have that done to them.”

Queen Essence stood there is shock, her eyes wide as she listened. Then as the Pop Queen numbly sank to the floor and hugged her legs to her chest, the silver and blue female bowed her head in shame.

“Are you talking about Barb, or yourself honey?”, the Funk Queen asked softly as she carefully laid down close to the pink female. Poppy sobbed brokenly as she threw herself onto the older female and began to cry into her shiny coat of fur.

Getting all the conformation she needed, Essence let out a sigh. “As Darnell would say, “I've done fucked up”, she said remorsefully as she gently nuzzled the Pop Queen's hair in a sign of affection. “You're right. No troll, male or female, ever deserves to be raped, and I'm a horrible troll for saying it”

The younger queen let out a sobbing laugh as she nodded in agreement, face still buried in the Funk Queen's fur. Chuckling ruefully at herself at the pink troll's entirely deserved admonition, Essence patently waited for her to finish crying until the Pop Queen pulled away with a sigh.

“Wow”, Poppy laughed self consciously as she slowly got her emotions under control. “I've sure been crying a lot for a Pop Troll lately! It seems like it's all that I do.”

“From everything you've told me, I'd be crying too if I were in your place. That is if I took a second to stop being a coldhearted bitch”, the Funk Queen joked as she smoothly got to her feet.

“Queen Essence!”, the pink female joked back a scandalous smile. “Such language is unbecoming of a queen!”

“Perhaps, but it best describes me today”, the silver and blue female said with a wink of her glittery eye. “Now I have a plan, but we're going to have to work fast if we're going to save Barb from your psycho of a boyfriend.”

“Ex-boyfriend”, Poppy happily chirped as she sprang to her feet. To her amazement and great pleasure, the word didn't hurt in the slightest.

OOOO

“Branch! Branch! Branch! Branch! Branch! Branch!”, Poppy hollered as obnoxiously as she could into Branch's intercom as she beat on his bunker door with a large rock. 

While the Pop Queen had been screaming into the little box for over an hour, she refused to get discouraged, no matter how long the teal male ignored her. 

It had already been three days since the pink female had met with Queen Essence and come up with a plan to help Barb. While there was no legal way to force Branch to give up the purple female, there were ways that they could make her life better. Unfortunately, time wasn't on their side. While Poppy had assumed that Branch would have done his research on Rock Trolls in an effort to keep his new mate and unborn offspring safe, Essence hadn't been so sure. In fact, other than the thrill he got from practically owning the Queen of Rock, the elder female didn't think Branch cared much about her at all.

Poppy had been ready to go and confront Branch bright and early the next morning. Although she hadn't seen her former friend since the day she had confronted him in her pod, she'd gotten reports from Smidge that Branch had taken to strutting around the village, bragging about how he'd taken out the Queen of Rock and what he'd been doing to her in his bunker. Poppy, completely disillusioned by her people's actions, hadn't been the least bit surprised to learn that many Pop Trolls had started viewing him as a hero.

Assuming he'd be easy to find, Poppy had looked everywhere she could think of, but Branch was nowhere to be found. While it was possible that she just hadn't run into the teal male as he tended to his   
his survivalist chores or his various duties around Pop Village, after three days of intense searching, the Pop Queen wasn't so sure. It was becoming obvious that he was avoiding her and with his survivalist skills, she'd have no way of finding him if he didn't want her to.

She finally gone to Branch's bunker in order to force him to let her inside, only to receive a nasty shock. The entire clearing and the forest around it had been planted with the new security system that Branch had devised a few months before the String War. The system was based on the eye-stalk plants that the teal male had infested Pop Village with a few years earlier. 

A subspecies of the eye-stalk would watch and comment on everything they saw, while their cousin species, the tattle-cattail listened to everything they said and gossiped it to the next plant in line until it reached the troll who was monitoring the network. While the concept was undeniably ingenious, the fact that it was a horrifying invasion of privacy made Poppy reject the plan outright. Branch had promised to dispose of the terrifying plants, but had obviously decided to use it to upgrade his own security.

Giving an exasperated sigh, the Pop Queen dropped her rock onto Branch's 'Go Away' doormat and sat down on a nearby tree root to think. Ignoring the leering plants, the pink female kicked her legs in frustration as she went over every entrance into the bunker that she knew of and what it would take to get inside.

'Come on Poppy, think! Barb's counting on you!', the pink female thought to herself. 'He might be a literal genius when it comes to security, but you've broken into his bunker several times! He can't outsmart you unless you let him.'

She knew she couldn't force her way in. Although all of Branch's traps were now devised to be nonlethal after the 'Keith Incident', that didn't mean she wasted to be trapped and at the teal male's tender mercies either. The labyrinth he'd installed as a secret way in was also out for the same reason. The last time he'd had her test it, the pink female had been lost in the winding corridors for days before the teal male had been able to find her. That only left one way in. The Evisceration Shaft. 

The Evisceration Shaft, so named for the lethal nature of the traps hidden inside, had been the most deadly and suicidal entrance into his bunker that Branch had devised. While those traps should have been made nonlethal as well, the Pop Queen wasn't so sure that the male Pop Troll had actually listened to her and made the swap. Since it was glaringly obvious that it was the only way in, the pink female was going to get a chance to find out.  
.  
Jumping off of the root, Poppy turned to face the bunker and carefully made sure that as many plants were watching and listening as possible before she made an obvious show of stomping angrily over to the path that led back to the village. 

“Oh no!”, she yelled woodenly to the plant-based security system. “Branch must not be home. I must go back to the village and scrapbook my disappointment away until I am happy again. Such are the weaknesses that I, Poppy, have to live with.”

As the plants muttered and reported what they'd seen and heard, Poppy used her hair to pull herself up into the foliage overhead and swung as fast as she could to where the shaft was located. She wasn't sure if Branch had bought her little act or not, but all she could do was hope that he had. 

Finally, she arrived at the entrance to the Evisceration Shaft. To her dismay, Branch had also planted his security system there as well. Not willing to let anything stop her now that she was so close, Poppy carefully eased her scrapbooking scissors out of her hair and got to work quietly cutting one plant down at a time. Finally, when she was done, the pink female triumphantly pulled off the metal safety cover from the shaft.

Looking down the long smooth corridor, a troll wouldn't have thought that there was any danger, but that would have been a very messy, very bloodly mistake. Holding her breath, the Pop Queen tossed a small apple down the tunnel and watched as it hit the floor. A spiked mallet and a stream of fire reduced it to ash before she could even gasp in surprise.

“Oooookkkaaayyy”, Poppy whispered nervously. “So Branch didn't listen to me when I told him nonlethal traps only. This is really gonna suck”

Branch had admitted to her once that he had created a counter to the traps in the Shaft in case he ever needed to get in that way. The traps were linked to a song that he'd made up in his childhood when he first dug out his bunker. The disturbing song had made such an impression on Poppy, that she remembered it over a year later. Closing her eyes, she recited the it over and over in her mind along with the memory of the dance that went with it, until she was sure she'd gotten it down.

“This is my bog boy dance. Little Branch wears the big boy pants”, the pink female chanted as she danced and dodged one lethal trap after another. “He pulls them up up up! He pulls them down down down. Oopsy daisy goes the baby as you tiptoe through the grass!”

Then suddenly Poppy was out of words and only half-way through. “Oh sugar!”, she cursed hotly, angry at herself for just now remembering how their original adventure in the shaft had ended.. “Branch never finished the song!”

The Pop Queen first looked longingly at the entrance and the bright white sunlight that beckoned her to safety and then back the other way to stare into the utter darkness that concealed the rest of the corridor from view. Even though she knew it was most likely her imagination, the pink female could have sworn she could hear Barb weeping brokenly from inside the bunker. Her hesitation lasted only an instant before she took a deep breath to stabilize her nerves. Poppy knew what she had to do.

“Oh hair!”, she cursed again as she ran full tilt down the shaft and into the darkness. 

She could feel as the traps went off all around her, could feel the flames as they came close enough to singe her dress. Recognizing the sudden points of light streaking toward her, the Pop Queen ducked and slid along the floor as razor sharp needle darts flew by and grazed her pink hair. Quickly picking herself back up, the pink female barely managed to avoid the razor blades that rose up from the floor beneath her. 

Poppy grinned as she ran when the end of the shaft finally came into view. Forcing her tired body to run faster, the pink female sprinted towards the welcoming wall of gray until she noticed that the walls around the exit were writhing. Although she didn't know what coated the end of the shaft, she knew that if Branch had put them there, she wouldn't like what would happen when she ran into them.. 

Trying to stop on the suddenly incredibly slick floor, Poppy slid faster and faster toward the eerie shapes that perked up at her presence and were trying to pull free of their moorings in order to reach her. The Pop Queen shrieked in fear and covered her face just as she felt the harsh sting of hair wrap around her waist and pull her trough the middle of the corridor. Opening her eyes in shock, she watched as tiny razor sharp beaks oozing a black substance snapped at her, only missing her by inches.

Suddenly Poppy was enfolded in strong muscular arms that she knew intimately well. For the briefest of an instant, she let herself be comforted by the troll that had meant more to her than her own life just a few weeks ago, before she started to thrash and claw in order to get free. Branch cursed as he let the Pop Queen go. The two Pop Trolls glared hotly at each other until the teal male threw his hands up in the air in disbelief.

“So, this is what I get for saving you? Lacerations and a possible concussion. Thanks a lot Poppy”, the teal male growled sarcastically before he replaced the cover on his death shaft.

Well, if you'd let me inside in the first place, than none of that would have happened”, retorted the pink female, annoyed. “We need to talk.”

Branch glared at the Pop Queen contentiously before he stalked out of the small room, quickly leaving her behind.

“I have nothing to talk to you about Poppy”, he called back angrily as he increased his stride, forcing Poppy to jog to keep up.

“Yes we do Branch”, she snapped. “And you know it!”

“No we don't!”, the male Pop Troll snarled as he whirled around and tried to strike her with the back of his hand. Poppy jerked back just in time, his fingers just grazing her glitter-freckled cheek.

The Pop Queen stared at the teal male, wide-eyed with fear, before she brutally pushed all the emotions she was feeling into a distant corner of her mind. Branch was just trying to scare her, to keep her off balance and possibly even break her like he'd done that horrible night in order to keep the upper hand. Now wasn't the time for emotion where he waited in the darkened corners of her mind. Now was the time for the cold hard logic he loved so very much.

“She's losing weight, isn't she?”

Poppy's voice was completely devoid of emotion as she crossed her arms and looked at her former friend as neutrally as she could. Branch reared back as if she'd physically struck him and watched her with deep suspicion.

“What did you do to her?”, the teal male accused angrily as he stalked forward, his body language screaming his violent intent. 

Doing the best she could to keep her body from trembling, Poppy continued despite her fear. “You've tried to up her caloric intake with granola, honey, and whole milk, but you just can't get her to eat.”

The male Pop Troll stopped just inches away from the pink female's body and leaned down until their noses touched. “What. Did. You. Do.”, he hissed venomously, biting off each word so that they came out in a harsh staccato.

“Me? Nothing”, the Pop Queen said detachedly as she continued to fight against her fraying nerves and a strong urge to vomit.

Pop Trolls didn't react well to violence and intimidation, the females even less so than the males. Every cell in Poppy's body was screaming at her to submit to the furious male, to do anything she could, even spread her legs open for him, in a desperate attempt to appease Branch so he might let her live. From the glint of deranged amusement in Branch's eyes, the pink female had no doubt that he was well awar of his affect on her and in fact, was trying to trigger that instinct on purpose.

Terrified that he would succeed, Poppy closed her eyes as she continued. “This is all on you Branch. What you're feeding Barb is all wrong! Because of their environment, a Rock Troll's diet is largely made up of different kinds of proteins and plant matter that they can grow underground. She needs a diet that's at least seventy to eighty percent high quality protein while she's pregnant, or she will die.”

The Pop Queen hesitantly opened her eyes when her statement was met by silence. Branch was staring off into the distance with a critical expression on his face as he mulled over her words. Relieved to see that he was at least listening to her, Poppy went for her next line of attack.

“Rock Trolls are also highly social creatures, even more so than us Pop Trolls. They don't live alone, they don't perform alone, they don't eat alone, and those dogpiles that you are so dismissive of is their way of bonding with family, friends, and tribe. Every Rock Troll is invited to every party and to sleep over at any house, provided that they can behave themselves, because to them, they are all family, connected through their music. The Country tribe have experimented on captured Rock Trolls to see just how powerful of an instinct it is. The longest any of them lived was just over six weeks Branch. How long have you had Barb down here in your torture dungeon?”

The male Pop Troll studied her with a bored expression. “Twenty-three days. I see you've been doing your homework, but lets face it Poppy. You're not intelligent enough to come up with this on your own. Who's been helping you try and manipulate me?”

Poppy gaped open-mouthed at Branch as she felt waves of pain, anger, and indignation at his hateful words. Even though she knew that the teal male was trying to bait her into losing her temper, there was a smug sense of candor to his statement that showed that he believed every word.

Sniffing back sudden unwanted tears, the Pop Queen looked at her former friend with all the betrayal and hurt she'd felt for the last several weeks. “That's low Branch, even for you”, she whispered softly as a single tear escaped her eye.

The male Pop Troll's expression flickered, there and gone in an instant, before it went back to his new normal look of detached amusement. “I can't help it if you can't face facts Poppy”, he smirked smugly.

“You want facts Branch?”, Poppy seethed, happily abandoning detachment for anger and using its fire sear all of her other emotions away. “Ill give you facts. What are you going to do when Barb gives birth? She needs to be surrounded by females that love her if you want her to relax enough to be able to lay her egg. What are you going to do with the infant when Barb is just skin and bones and so depressed that she can't even get up to go to the bathroom? And that's assuming that she lives that long, which I assure you, she won't.

What are you going to do when the other Troll Nations attack Pop Village because you decided in your goddamn cruelty and arrogance, to rape and claim the fucking Queen of the Hard Rock Nation and make her your bitch? What are you doing to do if one of the Nations decides that your idea was a good one and they come to rape and claim me? Are you ready to lead our nation into war in my stead? Because they will come Branch. You shifted the balance of power in our favor and they won't just take that laying down. This isn't just some game. We're talking about widespread war and destruction.”

Branch stumbled backwards in complete and utter shock as the enormity of what the Pop Queen had told hit him full on. Rather than enjoying his discomfort, Poppy was completely dismayed to see that he really hadn't thought anything out beyond his own pleasure and forcing a young troll female to bear his Trollings. They had been friends long enough that the pink female could tell exactly what was going through the teal male's head as he rapidly tried to find any logistical fallacy, any flaw in her argument. Finally, he bared his teeth angrily and gave her a look of complete loathing.

“I'm still not giving her up Poppy”, he growled as he flexed his arms and hands like he was getting ready to physically fight her.

Mentally, the Pop Queen took a deep breath and prepared for the most desperate negotiation session of her life. 

“First off, I'm not going to take Barb away from you”, she said matter of factly as she ignored his look of disbelief. “The laws are on your side and they're too popular for me to do anything about them now. But Branch, she can't live down here, locked away so you can rape and abuse her whenever you get bored. She won't survive! I propose that she lives with me-”

Branch tried to interrupt, but Poppy was through with the teal male making her feel powerless. Talking right over him, she continued on.

“I'll have the Fuzzlings make my pod bigger so I can accommodate Barb and the baby. You'll have full access to her when you want to have sex, but I won't let you get carried away and severely injure her, laws be damned. You'll have to give her plenty of time to socialize with friends, play music, and to just be a troll. In return, you will have the same amount of time to socialize and spend time with Barb and I won't interfere, unless of course, her life is in danger. 

I'll also make sure she has the right foods to eat, clothes to wear, and that she sees a doctor as often as she needs it. You won't have to worry about her upkeep at all. There's literally no downside to this for you. You get a healthy happy mate that you don't have to worry about caring for and I get to make sure my friend is taken care of.”

To her surprised amazement, Branch was holding his chin while nodding his head in agreement, his eyes vacant as he thought over her terms. Slowly Branch looked back up at her and narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

“What about the other Nations. What do you propose we do about them?”, he asked as he watched her closely.

Poppy carefully forced her expression to remain neutral as she felt happiness and joy explode in her body. So far, the plan that she and Essence had spent so much time coming up with was working, but now was not the time to celebrate. The pink female still had to get Branch to agree with her plan.

“I've talked to Queen Essence of the Funk Trolls and she's agreed to hear me out. I'm willing to tell her that you only wanted a mate and Trollings when you took Barb. That you hadn't been trying to help the Pop Nation take over the Kingdom of Hard Rock in order to expand our influence and exert dominance over the other tribes. She also wants to talk to Barb and makes sure she can corroborate what I say. If the Funk Queen believes us, then she'll tell the other leaders what she's found out and that Funk will stand with Pop if there was a war”

Branch just stared at the pink female blankly for so long that Poppy had started to wonder if she broke him, when he finally started laughing and slowly clapping his hands.

“Bravo Poppy, I can honestly say I'm impressed. I'm not sure how, but you actually managed to beat me. Fine. I agree with your terms, with one revision”

Before Poppy could ask what that was, the teal male grabbed her by her dress and slammed the small female against the wall with her feet dangling two feet above the ground. The pink female thrashed and tried to pull his hand away as her own weight against the fabric of her clothing closed off her airway and made it hard to breathe. 

Branch shook her violently and slammed her back into the wall as he shoved his other hand down the Pop Queen's panties and jammed his fingers painfully up into her vaginal canal. The pink female froze as all of the feelings and emotions from her rape came rushing back in horrifying detail.

Branch shoved his larger face into hers and snarled like a rabid animal. “I swear to every God of Music there is Poppy. If this is some trick, some way to steal Barb away from me, I'll make sure you take her place. I will make you disappear and then I will fuck as many Trollings inside of you as I can until the physical strain kills you. Do I make myself clear?”

Poppy stared at him in gut-wrenching terror as she rapidly nodded her head. Looking into his eyes, she knew the teal Pop Troll meant ever word he'd said. He bared his teeth at her in a cruel imitation of a smile as he used his fingers and nails to tear into her very core, shredding her delicate inner walls in a horrible mockery of the way they had once made love, and caused her to wail in agony.

Finally, after the mental and physical torture felt like it had gone on for hours, Branch threw the Poppy bonelessly to the hard packed dirt floor and looked at his glittery blood covered hand in amusement. “So Queen Poppy, do I have your word that you'll give yourself to me if Barb escapes?”

The pink female got to her hands and knees and vomited on the floor as she shook uncontrollably with terror and in horrible pain. She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her teeth as she struggled against the panic attack and the dark abyss in her mind that threatened to overwhelm her. Finally gaining control, if only by a single fingernail, Poppy slowly looked up at her former lover and best friend, her face a mask of humiliation and white hot rage. 

“You have my word”


	8. One More Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poppy finally is able to rescue Barb from the torture that Branch has been inflicting on the Rock Queen. But after almost a month of continuous pain and suffering, Barb is going to need a lot of love and support if she wants to get well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! It's still me but I'm now rocking a new user name. Wanted to try something a little more unique. I hope everyone likes it.
> 
> WARNING!  
> This chapter contains descriptions of injuries caused by domestic abuse and sadism. I was considering toning down my content but decided against it. Although I write erotic content, Branch's actions and abuse have consequences in real life and since my story is about both, I have shown both. It isn't pretty and it isn't meant to be. I know that reading about such things can be upsetting, so I have put (*) before and after the description of Barb's condition. If you decide to skip it, just know that Barb is very injured and Branch has a ton of crap to atone for.
> 
> This chapter has cussing and the gratuitous use of the word 'fuck'.
> 
> Please note that anything the characters do or say are not a reflection of my thoughts, actions, or beliefs. This is a fictional story with fictional characters. I write my characters as who they are, not who I am. I personally think it makes for a much better story.
> 
> NOTES  
> I'm sure you guys have noticed that I tend to use 'male' and 'female' rather than 'man' or 'woman'. That's a conscious choice I made because man and women sound too human-ish to me and trolls aren't human. 
> 
> I'm so sorry to all the Branch fans out there. This isn't the Branch you know and love. This Branch has deep physiological issues that cause him to act out in sadistic ways. He can't stand powerful women, probably resulting from the fact that it was the Chef who ate his grandmother. Not that it matters much. If you feel rage and pain and want to hurt people, you need to get help, that's all there is to it. His behavior is based on people I knew/lived with in real life and if there's one thing I know is that abuse tends to escalate, it doesn't stop unless the abuser wants and gets the help he needs. Writing a character so different from yourself is a challenge at best and I hope I've been able to do it right.
> 
> This chapter contains a lot of fluff. You've been warned.
> 
> Differences in this chapter from the source material include larger more house-like pods and doors.
> 
> Terminology  
> Baby – infant troll  
> Trolling – any age of juvenile troll

If they say  
Who cares if one more light goes out?  
In a sky of a million stars  
It flickers, flickers  
Who cares when someone's time runs out?  
If a moment is all we are  
Or quicker, quicker  
Who cares if one more light goes out?  
Well, I do  
~ One More Light (Linkin Park)

Poppy shivered in the cool underground air as she hurried down the long hallway that lead toward Branch's room. The pink female was still damp from her quick shower, not willing to waste anymore time by trying to get herself dry. As much as she wanted to just grab her friend and leave this hellhole behind as fast as she could, the Pop Queen knew that showing up with the hem of her dress and legs soaked in blood was the last thing Barb needed to see. She as just thankful that Branch had had enough decency to giver her some of the clothing she'd left in the bunker so that she'd have something to wear.

The brief thought of the teal male broke through the painfully thin mental barriers that Poppy had tried to erect around the memories of her sexual assault as she had laid crying and dry heaving on the bathroom floor. Branch had been her best friend, her lover, and she had hoped her future husband. She had loved and trusted him completely before she'd found out what he'd done to Barb and even afterwards had trusted that the remnants of that love would keep her safe. The pink female never thought she'd be raped again and that Branch would be the one to do it.

The Pop Queen cried out like a wounded animal as her memories and emotions overwhelmed her, like an ocean wave crashing down on her head. She staggered sideways into the earthen wall before collapsing painfully to the dirt floor as memories of the male Pop Troll's attack assaulted her mind at the same time she remembered the wonderful times they'd had together.

The horrible flashbacks seemed just as real as the actually event had been. The horrible realization that the male she had loved was enjoying himself as he looked at her with excited eyes while he clawed and ripped at her insides, shredding her vaginal walls and making her scream in agony. How his large teal fingers had tried to brutally force themselves through her cervix, as if Branch had desperately wanted to injure her womb itself. His laugh still rang in her ears from when she had begged him to let her clean herself off as she bled on the floor at his feet.

At the same time, Poppy remembered the Branch who had laughed with her over the silliest things, the little jokes that they'd shared, and the way he'd watched her ass when he thought she wasn't looking. The promises they'd made, the secrets they'd shared, and the love that they'd had. She remembered the way they'd passionately kissed and clawed at each other's clothing until they were naked and making love, where ever they happened to be. 

The mental disconnect between the two versions of Branch was almost as painful as the attack itself had been. The Pop Queen just couldn't understand how the Branch she knew could still be the same troll who had assaulted and raped her and Barb. No matter what mental gymnastics she performed in order to explain his behavior, Poppy found that she couldn't lie to herself any longer.

The kind, loving, pragmatic Branch that she knew didn't exist and probably never had. What the male Pop Troll had hidden from everyone was that he was a paranoid violent sadist who used his tragic past to justify the terrible things that he did. Poppy had tried her best to help him to become a better troll, but you couldn't help someone who didn't think they needed help in the first place.

Fighting against the agonizing memories, the Pop Queen used all of the mental discipline she possessed to force herself to regain control. For several torturous minutes, Poppy fought against the incredibly strong pull of the dark abyss in her mind that tried to drag her down into its depths and strip her of all of her colors.

'NO!', Poppy mentally shouted to the howling void. 'I am NOT going to let that asshole do that to me, NOT AGAIN! I won't let him rip away my happiness, my very self ever again! I WON'T LET HIM WIN!'

Standing firm, the winds gradually diminished until the void was just a tiny speck that Poppy could once again push into the back of her mind and back into the mental prison she'd created for it. There would be a time to grieve and try to come to terms with what had happened to her, but now wasn't that time. If Branch had felt empowered enough to brutally attack her as he had, then there was no telling what damage he'd done to Barb who was utterly powerless to stop him.

Breathing heavily, Poppy carefully used the tunnel walls to pull herself up until she was back on her feet. Gritting her teeth against the agonizing pain radiating from her insides, the pink female quickly hobbled up the tunnel, becoming increasingly worried the closer she got to the bedroom. Everything was eerily silent, as if she were the only thing left alive in this underground house of pain. The Pop Queen knew that Branch had probably gone to see Barb as soon as he left her to clean up in the bathroom, and she couldn't shake the horrifying feeling that he'd actually gone to kill the Rock Queen rather than letting Poppy take her.

Bursting through the doorway, she ignored the dark memories that tried to flare to life and quickly scanned the room. She almost missed Barb at first, her small body resting on a heap of bedding in the center of the teal male's massive bed. The Rock Troll had so much personality, so much life and zest, that it didn't seem possible that the still form could possibly be hers.

“Barb!”, Poppy cried out in panic as she forced her aching body to run the few feet from the door to the bed.

Leaping onto the mattress, the Pop Queen crawled over to the other troll and sat down by her side. When the purple female didn't react, Poppy gently touched her neck in order to check for a pulse with a shaking hand and felt a wild sense of relief when she felt the strong throb of blood pumping through the Rock Queen's veins. Frowning when the other female still didn't react to her touch or to her presence, Poppy gently put a hand on Barb's blanket covered shoulder and gently shook her.

“Barb sweetheart, wake up”, the pink female whispered worriedly to her friend. 'It's me, Poppy. I've come to take you out of here. You're going to live with me now on. Can you tell me if you're hurt anywhere?”

The Pop Queen didn't dare mention Riff or her plan to help her have a better life while she and Essence tried to find a way to free her from her abusive bond with Branch. She now knew how paranoid and dangerous the teal male could get and she was certain he was listening in, waiting for her to say something that he could use to his advantage. 

What the pink female knew and what Branch had yet to figure out was that he already had the one thing in his possession that he needed to get everything he wanted without giving a single thing up. Her. If he just kept her in his bunker against her will and broke her like he'd done the Rock Queen, she could give him all he wanted. She knew how to care for Barb and get her back into good health and she would be more than happy to help her through the birth and raising the baby. In fact, if she were in here, he wouldn't have to even worry that she'd rally the other leaders and come dig him out of his bunker.

But while Branch had turned out to be a cruel asshole, he was still wickedly smart. It was only a matter of time before he realized that there was a loophole and when he did, it would be safer for her and Barb to be as far away as possible.

Not getting an answer, Poppy quickly pulled back the sheets and tried not to scream. Barb was dressed in one of Branch's oversized white t-shirts that served as a nightgown on the much smaller female, but it did nothing to hide how much weight she had lost. The Rock Queen looked emaciated with every bone in her body jutting out painfully, causing her otherwise small pregnant belly seem obscenely large in comparison. The pink female knew she shouldn't have been so shocked at how quickly Barb's condition had deteriorated given her most likely plant heavy diet and how many calories Rock Trolls burned by just being alive, but after seeing the effects for herself, she just couldn't help it.

Trembling in fear at what else she might find, Poppy gently turned the other queen's beautiful head so she could look into her eyes and breathed in sharply when she saw all of the dark purple bruises covering Barb's face. One eye had swollen shut while the other stared at her unfocused, like the pregnant female couldn't quite understand what was going on around her so she'd given up even trying. The Pop Queen wept freely as she gently stroked her friend's abused face, wishing she had been able to get to her sooner.

The Rock Queen almost didn't look recognizable. With her face swollen and bruised and her earrings and makeup that had been so important to her punk rocker look gone, the only way to tell it was even her was the brilliant mane of red hair that had grown out of its signature mohawk cut and was now laying in snarled tangles around her head. But what made everything worse was that the joyfully defiant expression that Poppy loved so much was gone. In it's place was the blank look of a broken thing that existed only because it hadn't yet died.

Forcing herself to smile, Poppy gently smoothed the Rock Queen's hair away from her face. 

“It's gonna be okay sweetheart!”, she half pleaded and half sobbed to the other female. “Just hold on while I make sure you don't have anything that I need to bandage, then we'll get the fuck out of here. Please let me know if I'm doing anything that makes you uncomfortable and I'll stop, okay?”

*  
Still not getting a reply, the pink female gently lifted the white shirt and bit back a curse. Bite marks, bruises and half healed wounds covered the other troll's entire body. While most were clustered around her breasts and genitalia, it seemed like no inch of skin had been spared with the exception of her abdomen. The untouched skin was in such sharp contrast with the rest of Barb's body that it made Poppy ill to even think of what it could mean. 

Fresh white bandages stood out in sharp contrast against the deep purple bruises and crusted over wounds, the pungent smell of Branch's antibiotic healing cremes telling the Pop Queen that she wouldn't like what she'd find underneath. The teal male had obviously tried to treat the worst of the damage he'd inflicted on Barb, although she couldn't tell whether it was out of sense of guilt, compassion, or because of the Rock Queen's declining health. Quickly realizing that it ultimately didn't matter and with time at the essence, she decided that the male Pop Troll's first aid would have to do and left the bandages alone for now. There was already plenty of doctoring she had to do without adding more.

Poppy softly sang every rock song that she'd ever learned in a desperate attempt to sooth her catatonic friend as she worked. First she palpated the Rock Queen's abdomen to check for internal bleeding and was relived when everything appeared normal. Deciding that the worst of the wounds could wait after she was finished with her examination, the Pop Queen gently rolled the purple female on to her side and had to bite back another curse at what she saw.

Barb's entire back had been shredded, most likely with some kind of thorned whip, fresh wounds layered over healing ones in a horrible mosaic of pain. Her arms, legs, and buttocks were also covered in those horrible cuts along with deep bruises in the shape of hand prints and what looked like burn wounds on her feet. Poppy immediately pulled her first aid kit from her hair in order to bandage the worst of the damage and although it must have hurt like hell, all the Rock Queen did was tremble and keen quietly under her breath.

After she'd finished treating all of the wounds she could find on Barb's body, there was only one place left to check. The Pop Queen hesitated before she gently spread the Rock Queen's legs apart, both afraid of what she'd find and regretting the necessary gross invasion of her privacy. The last thing the purple female needed was to bleed out just as she was being rescued because she'd been too squeamish to be thorough. 

Branch hadn't even spared Barb's most sensitive parts from the abuse he so freely inflicted everywhere else on her body. Her genitals had been viciously beaten, the bruising and swelling making her vulva seem unnaturally large. It was obvious that he'd also tried to wash away the traces of abuse there as well, although the amount of glittery flecks that covered her shaved mound and inner thighs testified to what he'd done. After she made sure there wasn't any fresh blood, the pink female gently pulled down the large shirt and considered her examination done. Her limited first aid skills would have to do until Queen Essence's doctors could see her the next morning.  
*

Finally satisfied that the purple female wouldn't die if she moved her, Poppy went to bundle her friend up in one of the smaller blankets when Barb flinched violently at her touch. She held her breath in anticipation as the Rock Queen blinked dazedly as if she had just woken up from a long sleep, and looked at her in horrified disbelief, like she'd seen a ghost. Shaking her head, the purple female burst into tears, her harsh sobs causing her whole body to shake.

“No!”, she sobbed as she covered her eyes with her hands. “Get the fuck away from me! You aren't real, you can't be real! Just leave me alone!”

Feeling sick to her stomach, Poppy dropped the blanket and carefully pulled her friend into her lap and just rocked her as she trembled and cried. 

“Shh shh”, she whispered soothingly. “It's okay Barb, I promise I'm real. I'm going to get you out of here.”

When her words seemed to have no affect on the Rock Queen, Poppy leaned down and gently nuzzled the purple females face and muzzle with her nose before leaning down and giving her a hug. To her great surprise, Barb fiercely hugged her back. The two females embraced for several moments before Barb pulled away and looked Poppy in the face, almost as if she couldn't believe that the pink female was actually there.

“But you l-left me! You wouldn't have come back, not for me. Not after all th-that I've done!”, the Rock Queen stuttered through her tears, her good eye quickly darting around as she tried to look at the other female. “I've b-been such a horrible person to everybody and I-I know I deserve this. But I was hoping that-that I'd b-been a good enough friend to you, but you left me with him anyway! W-why would you come b-back?”

The trauma and suffering behind Rock Queen's words cut Poppy deeper than any physical knife would have. Crying even harder, she pulled Barb to her chest and gave the pregnant troll another hug.

“I came back because you're my friend and I love you. I don't care what that sick bastard tried to make you believe, you're a good person and you don't deserve what he's done to you! Everyone makes mistakes and you've done everything you could to fix them. At least you didn't leave your best friend behind to be tortured in this hellhole by a sadist because you're too caught up in yourself to notice anything was wrong!”

The two females continued their hug in silence for several more minutes, each gaining strength and taking comfort from each other's presence. Finally after all their tears had been shed, Barb pulled away and looked at the pink female in amazement as she hiccuped repeatedly.

“Seriously? I'm your best friend”, she asked in disbelief as if she hadn't been quite able to believe her ears.

“Of course you are silly!”, Poppy laughed as she used Branch's bed covers to clean her face. “What other kind of friend would give herself to a psycho so that I wouldn't get my feelings hurt?”

Both trolls giggled for a bit, a little hysterical after all of the stress and fear before Poppy looked away ashamed.

“I am so sorry that I let this happen to you Barb”, she whispered brokenly. “I'll understand it if you decide to hate me.”

The Pop Queen worriedly looked back at her friend when she heard her inhale sharply. The purple female was looking at her wide-eyed in surprise at first before giving her a radiant smile. Raising her hand, Barb lovingly brushed her fingers against Poppy's cheek before giving her a weak punch to the shoulder.

“How could I hate you Pop-corn? You came back for me.”

A noise from somewhere in the bunker shattered the tender moment and caused both female to freeze in fear and alarm. Mentally cursing herself for losing track of the time, the Pop Queen gently reached over and squeezed Barb's hand. 

“We need to get out here before Branch finds the loophole in our agreement”, she told the other queen firmly as she quickly scrambled off of the bed. “Where are your things?”

Barb didn't seem to be able to hear her as she stared at the doorway in terror, her eye vacant once again. The pink female had to repeatedly call her name and shake her in order to break the Rock Queen out of her catatonic state. The pregnant troll looked at Poppy, her pink eyes confused, as the Pop Queen repeated her question.

“Oh, my stuff? He, uh, he burned it all the day I got here. Said that I wouldn't need it after he made me into a proper Pop Troll”, Barb replied vaguely, almost as if she couldn't quite remember what had happened or even what was happening now. “Now I'm really glad I didn't bring my guitar.”

Realizing that she was losing the pregnant female, Poppy gave Barb another little shake in order to focus her attention. “Barb sweetie, you have to stay with me. We need to get out of here. Do you think you can walk?”

Shaking her head hard, the Rock Queen looked at the pink female as if she were waking up from a dream. “If I can't, I'll fucking crawl”, she growled determinedly.

OOOO

Barb had done her best to hobble out of Branch's den of tortures under her own power, but her strength had given out less then halfway to the lift. Poppy had to help support her weight in order for the other queen to continue, the physical strain causing her inner wounds to throb in agony as they moved. The Pop Queen knew that the purple female had realized that she was injured and but thankfully, the pregnant female didn't ask any questions.

Poppy thanked all of the Gods of Music when Branch didn't make an appearance during their trek through the twisting warren of tunnels. But even though she didn't seen the teal male, she knew full well that he was close by, watching and listening. The pink female could smell his cologne in the air, the scraping of his calloused feet on the earthen floor, and the sound of his heavy breathing as he hid just out of sight. He might be able to trick another troll into thinking that he was hiding, ashamed to face the two females he'd brutally assaulted, but the Pop Queen wasn't fooled. 

Branch was a master survivalist. If he wanted to hide, she'd have never known he was there. What he was doing was sending her a message, that no matter where she was or what she was doing, he would always be there watching her, just biding his time until he decided to get what he wanted. He'd figured it out and now she was in more danger than she'd ever been in before.

For what ever sick and twisted reason, the male Pop Troll let them leave the bunker unmolested. Ignoring the spy plants as she supported Barb who was white faced and trembling from exhaustion, Poppy whistled for her royal flybug, the creature more than big enough to carry both females to safety. She'd hidden the creature high up in the canopy well away from the entrance of Branch's home, rightfully fearing that the Rock Queen wouldn't be in any shape to walk back to Pop Village. The other advantage to flying back was that it would be far safer for her friend if her people didn't know of her royal guest until after Barb was already in her pod.

Barely keeping back tears of pain, Poppy clutched Barb to her chest with one hand while she controlled her mount with the other. Sitting astride the giant beetle was excruciatingly painful for both females as it zigged and zagged its way back home. Luckily the distance to her pod was a relatively short one. Multicolored faces faces lifted up to watch their queen as she flew the large flashy bug through the village directly to her pod instead of the stables. The pink female knew her unusual behavior would create quit the stir, but it really couldn't be helped. Neither queen was in any condition to walk anywhere.

Riff had obviously been watching the skies while he waited for the Pop Queen and his beloved Barb to return home. As soon as her pink fluffy pod came into view, he threw open the front door and impatiently waited for them to land. His breath hitched and his whole body shook in anger and fear when he got a good look at Barb while Poppy hastily retied the pregnant female's blanket around her thin body. After the purple female's modesty had been seen to, the Pop Queen tried to gently slide her off of the giant beetle and into the male Rock Troll's arms. Barb did her best to assist her, but was far too weak and exhausted after her captivity to even hold herself up, much less jump off a beetle three troll lengths off the ground.

The male Rock Troll easily caught the small female and hoisted her up in his arms, but instead of immediately turning around and bringing the Rock Queen inside like he was supposed to, Riff shifted Barb to one shoulder and held out his free hand in a silent offer of help. Blinking back tears of joy at the touching show of kindness, Poppy slid off the flybug and collapsed into the gray male's strong arms, not caring a single cupcake about what her people would think.

Riff bent down and picked her up, putting her on his other shoulder before turning around and staggering inside. Kicking the door shut with his foot, he gently jiggled them into a better position and carefully shuffled into Poppy's bedroom. When he reached the bed, he gently laid both females down in the middle before collapsing on the bed himself next to Barb.

“I'm not saying you girls are heavy or anything”, he huffed as he tried to catch his breath. “But I really need to start exercising more!”

Poppy and Barb giggled at the gray male before they all cuddled together, not saying a word as they enjoyed each other's company. It didn't seem strange or odd in any way to Poppy as she lay in a tangle of limbs and enjoyed the warm embraces of the two Rock Trolls. It felt natural, like they had been friends their entire lives instead of just a few months. She didn't even mind when Riff and Barb began to kiss and nuzzle each other passionately, reconnecting after the Rock Queen's horrific ordeal.

'If this is why Rock Trolls love to sleep in dogpiles, sign me up!', Poppy thought to herself sleepily as the sun slowly started to set. 'It's like hug time, but with beds!'

Just as the pink female was wondering if it would be worth it to get up and get something to eat, Barb yawned and rolled over gingerly onto her back.

“I don't know about you guys, but I'm fucking done”, the Rock Queen announced as she closed her eyes. “I love you all so much, but if I don't get some sleep, I'm just gonna pass out. I promise we can play show and tell tomorrow.”

Riff was up like a shot, rolling off the bed and onto his feet in an instant. He took Barb's hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze as he gave her a kind but firm look. “Oh no you don't Barb! You gotta eat something first. I've been simmering my famous meat and bone marrow broth since this morning for when Poppy got you back. Please tell me you'll at least try and drink it.”

Barb gave him a look of such tender love that the Poppy felt her cheeks and ears blush as the Rock Queen gently pulled the gray male down for a kiss. The two Rock Trolls fell on each other hungrily for a few moments before Riff gently pulled away. Giving the purple female a mock stern look that made both females laugh, the gray male gently booped the Rock Queen's nose.

“Okay, that was nice. More than nice. I mean it was wonderful”, he rambled as he ran his fingers through the pregnant female's tangled hair. “But stop distracting me. You really need to eat.”

Huffing loudly, Barb gave Riff an irritated look before sighing wearily. “Fine mom. Just hurry up. I wasn't exaggerating the passing out part.”

The drummer was gone and back in a flash, a large steaming mug of broth in his hands that smelled divine. The purple female gingerly took the cup from him and held it like it was almost too heavy for her to hold. Giving the hot liquid a cautious sniff, Barb suddenly started gulping it down like the starving creature she was. Riff happily brought her two more refills before the Rock Queen announced that she was full. Then she was out like a light, soundly asleep almost the second after she'd said she was done.

Gently removing the mug from the Rock Queen's hands, Riff went back into the kitchen to get their dinner while Poppy took care of Barb. Quickly looking under the blanket toga, the pink female was relieved to find that all of the bandages looked fine and there was no other signs of bleeding other than a few weeping cuts. After she was satisfied that the pregnant female would live through the night, Poppy gently moved Barb to the center of the bed and covered her with several blankets when the gray male returned with overflowing plates of food.

They ate sitting on the bed, neither troll wanting to leave the Rock Queen by herself. Although Poppy didn't usually eat much meat like most Pop Trolls, she had to admit that she loved the way the Riff prepared the stuff as she hungrily ate her hamburger. They talked of inconsequential things while they enjoyed their meal, holding off on the horrible conversation that was to come.

After cleaning up, the two friends sat back on the bed as Poppy went over everything that had happened when she had gone into the bunker, only leaving out the details of Branch's attack. The male Rock Troll stayed silent through most of the conversation, although it was easy to tell how he felt by the way that he bared his teeth and rumbled a low growl the entire time she talked.

“I knew I should have gone with you!”, he started to say loudly but stopped when Barb groaned and rolled over. Waiting until after she'd settled, he pulled off his hat and squeezed it brutally in his hands before sighing and relaxing his grip. 

“That fucking monster hurt you, hurt Barb, and here I was sitting here with my fucking thumb up my ass!”, he hissed quietly, his blue eyes full of pain and misery. “I'm freaking useless!”

“Riff”, Poppy said firmly as she grabbed his hands and held them in her much smaller ones. “Branch would have left you to die in the Evisceration Shaft and then Barb would have lost the troll that she loves and I would have lost one of my best friends. Now what good would that have done anyone?”

The gray male looked at her silently for a minute before he sighed and looked away. “Yeah, I know”, he acknowledged dispiritedly. “I just hate always letting the trolls I care about get hurt.”

“Yeah, tell me about it”, she sighed, feeling the same way.

Looking over at Barb and then back at Poppy, Riff cleared his throat nervously. “Do you mind if I-I sleep with um you two? I promise I'll keep my hands to myself! I just don't want to be away from her.”

Poppy gave him a gentle smile and nodded her head enthusiastically. “Of course you can! That couch has got to be getting uncomfortable by now. In the next few days you'll have your own room that you and Barb can sleep in.”

Blushing brightly at the thought, Riff and Poppy got ready for bed and then laid down on either side of the Rock Queen. It was a tight fit, but after a bit of adjusting, the three trolls were just able to fit on the bed. The pregnant female seemed to recognize that she was among friends and snuggled happily in between them. Poppy was just wondering if the other female would punch her (in a friendly manner of course) if she'd told her what she did in her sleep, when the Pop Queen fell asleep herself.

OOOO

Poppy's pod was usually a flurry of activity in the morning. Being a queen entailed a lot of hard work and it wasn't unusual for the pink female to go to bed well after midnight and be back up as soon as the sun rose in the sky in order to have enough hours in the day to get everything done. But today's activities had an air of excitement about them, the start of a brand new beginning, hopefully a better beginning than the ones the three trolls were having to get used to living through.

Barb stared unhappily at her bowl of soft stewed meat as she poked it with her spoon. “Why do I have to eat this baby food?” she sulked as she unenthusiastically ate her second serving. “You know what would be amazing! Barbecued ribs or maybe a nice pot roast! Oooo! How about some super spicy meat chili!”

“You have to eat it because Branch is a fucking idiot and almost starved you to death”, Poppy called out from the main living area where she was attempting to alter some of her clothes in order to give the Rock Queen something to wear. “You can't just jump back into your normal diet right after that. That's medicine 101.”

“That's medicine 101”, Barb repeated in a mocking voice before she sighed and finished the last bit of meat in her bowl. 

Glancing over at Poppy while she licked her spoon, the Rock Queen scowled when the pink female raised an eyebrow and gave her a look. Sighing exasperatedly, she threw the utensil back in the bowl and leaded back in her chair.

“Look Pink, I'm sorry if I sounded like an ungrateful bitch. I appreciate what you're trying to do”, Barb apologized gruffly. “I've just dreamed of the stuff the whole time that ass-tard was trying to poison me with his okras and collard greens and shit. I mean, who willingly eats that crap?”

“Branch”, Poppy stated just as Riff placed a third bowl of mushed meat in front of the Rock Queen.

Barb stared first at Riff and then at the bowl like they'd personally offended her before she gave a resigned sigh and picked up the spoon and slowly began eating without complaint.

“And Pink?”, Poppy teased as she walked over and placed the folded pile of clothes next to the other female. “What's with you and nicknames?”

“I like nicknames”, Barb said with her mouth full as she continued eating. “And I like Pink, because there's nothing in this world that's more pink than you! Unless you like Pop-corn, or Pop-tart, or Pop-squeak, or -”

“Pink is fine”, she laughed back, amused. “But I don't think Pop-squeak quite fits me since I noticed I was the taller one when we were escaping.”

The Rock Queen looked at her in annoyed disbelief as she finished her last bite. “Nuh-uh! I'm the taller one! Don't you remember when I measured us! I'm one centimeter taller than you!”

Poppy narrowed her eyes at the other female for a second before she started laughing. “You were standing on your tiptoes when you did that and you know it!”

“So?”, Barb scoffed back before looking into the kitchen and giving Riff a glare. 

“Look man, I know you're worried about me, and I love you for it, I really do. But if you try to make me eat another bowl of that crap, I'm just gonna puke it all back up. I've never been so full in my life!”

The male Rock Troll guilty shrugged as he set down the ladle back down inside of the stew pot. “Can't blame a guy for trying”, he sheepishly told her. “After all, you're eating for two.”

A sudden silence descended on the entire household at the mention of the baby like storm clouds blotting out the sun. Poppy had done her best not to mention the little Trolling growing inside of her friend until the other female was ready to talk about it. The Pop Queen didn't even know how she would feel if she had to carry her rapist's baby to term, much less how the fiery Rock Queen felt. While it was easy for some random troll to say that Barb should just love the little Trolling unconditionally, they weren't the ones who would have to raise them to adulthood, always being reminded of the violent act that resulted in their conception.

Barb flushed a bright red as pushed her chair away from the table and looked down at her pregnant belly. Poppy watched fascinated at the array of emotions flickered across the Rock Queen's delicate face. Sorrow changed to fury, which changed to love, then to fear, which then morphed into soul-wrenching despair. Finally, Barb placed her hands on her stomach and looked at her and Riff with scared and vulnerable pink eyes.

“I, uh, I know you guys are wondering about my thoughts on the-the baby. What I wanna do about him and everything”, she said quietly before looking back down at the small bulge like she could see the Trolling inside of her. “I've-I've had a lot of time to think about that actually. When Branch was hurting me and forcing me to fuck him and stuff. At first I thought that he'd be happy now that he'd gotten what he wanted, you know, me as his mate and pregnant with his baby.

But when he would beat or kick me and stuff, he never made sure that the baby would be safe or anything. He'd just hit me in my face, or my stomach, or my back, or whatever he could reach at the time. It was like he didn't really care which of us he hurt as long as he was hurting someone. It's then that I realized that this little guy was just as much of a victim as I was, you know? It wasn't his fault that his sick fuck of a dad decided to rape his mom and if I didn't protect him, who would? So I did the best I could to keep him safe while I was down there with that bastard, 'cause I was all that he had.

I never thought about havin' Trollings before. I mean, I'm only twenty years old and kids were the farthest thing on my mind. Being Queen and a rock start was hard enough at it was, although I guess that doesn't matter now. I don't know if I'm gonna be a great mom or not, but I wanna try. So, yeah, I guess I love the little guy. I'm not planning on giving him up or letting that disgusting bastard take him back into his fucking torture dungeon. He's gonna have to kill me first this time.”

The Rock Queen fearfully glanced up and over at Riff who was standing there shaking with rage at what he'd heard and then quickly looked away.

“So, um, Riff. If that's a deal breaker man, I'm sorry but I can't-”, the terrified pregnant female started to say before the gray male threw himself down on the floor beside her and whisked her off of the hard felted chair and onto his lap.

“No, sweetie, no!”, Riff smiled as a tear rolled down his gray face. “I love you, I love your baby, and I will support you no matter what!”

The two Rock Trolls started to laugh and cry as they flung their arms around each other, both relieved to have everything out in the open and for once have things turn out okay. As Poppy watched the couple embrace, she quivered with happiness until she couldn't help herself any long. Flinging herself to the floor, she hugged both of her friends as best she could as they celebrated together.

“Man, this is so lame”, laughed Barb as she tried to get out of the hug pile, but was unable to due to Poppy's incredible hug strength.

“You know you like it!”, Poppy chirped back with a huge smile as she continued the hug.

OOOO

As much as the Pop Queen would have loved to spend more time with the happy couple, it was getting close to the when then the two queens were supposed to meet with Essence. Poppy hadn't been lying to Branch when she'd told him that the older queen had wanted to talk to Barb once the pink female had gotten her out of his thrice damned bunker. They needed to find out just how volatile things were back in the Kingdom of Hard Rock and what they could do to sooth relations there. The other leaders would also want to know what the Funk Queen had found and the blue and silver female needed something to tell them.

The Funk Queen was waiting for them aboard the royal family's diplomatic airship, the 'Arenbee' that hovered just far enough from Pop Village to not cause a panic. Although the craft was much much smaller than the gigantic airship that served as the Funk Troll's capital, it was still far more advanced than anything that her people had been able to design or build. 

After their meeting, Barb was to stay two weeks aboard the Arenbee as Essence's guest so she could be treated by her royal physicians. Doctor Moonbloom wasn't that bad of a doctor when she wasn't being overly dramatic or inappropriately silly, but with all the abuse the Rock Queen had suffered, she and her baby needed the best care they could get. An extended stay would also keep the Rock Queen safely away from Branch while the pink female worked on the next stage of the plan.

Barb had suffered a panic attack when Poppy had told her that she would be staying with the older queen alone, but it couldn't be helped. Poppy had to stay in Pop Village while her pod was under construction to ensure that Branch didn't try to install anything unpleasant in the walls themselves and the Funk Queen made it very clear that any other Rock Troll, including Riff, weren't welcome. To say that the gray male was unhappy about the situation was an epic understatement and although Poppy empathized with his irrational fears that he might never see his beloved again, that part of the plan was non-negotiable. She needed the Funk Queen's support and the Rock Queen needed the medical care. 

Hurrying the other female into the bathroom, Poppy gently shut the door leaving Riff to pace restlessly outside. She would have loved to have the gray male help Barb with her shower so they could spend a little more time with each other, but the pink female just didn't have the strength to stop the Rock Troll from trying to kill Branch after he'd seen how just how badly the teal male had tortured his girlfriend. She was happy to reassure him that she'd help the purple female in his place.

Wordlessly shedding her borrowed clothing, Barb sat on the bright pink toilet and looked away in shame as Poppy carefully peeled off all of her old bandages and checked the wounds underneath. Just like she'd expected, most of the ones that Branch had treated looked pretty bad, with early signs of infection trying to set in. But there was one in particular on the Rock Queen's side that concerned her the most.

The large wound showed signs that it had turned dangerously septic sometime in the past, but was now starting to heal thanks to the antibiotic paste that had been stuffed inside the wound. Taking a hot damp washcloth, Poppy gently cleaned the injury of pus and blood until she saw something strange about it that made her stop. Examining the area closer, it looked for all the world like someone had taken a red hot metal rod of some sort and had tried to draw or write on the pregnant female's skin hard enough to burn through and deeply sear the muscle underneath. Deeply troubled, the Pop Queen tried to come up with a reason anyone would do such a thing and came up blank.

Barb wiggled self consciously as Poppy continued to try and make sense of what she was seeing before the pregnant female turned to look down at her side with a hiss of pain.

“He, um, decided to write his name on me. So everyone would know who I belonged to”, the Rock Queen whispered, humiliation dripping from every word. “Dumb fucker had no idea how to properly preform scarification and went in way too deep. Hurt like a fucking son of a bitch.”

“Of course he did”, the pink female said quietly.

Tightly reigning in her anger, Poppy managed to only give Barb a loving hug and to not give into the urge to find her former lover and kill him herself . She swore to herself that Branch would pay for all that he'd done to her friend. She may not have been able to punish Cooper during the Bergen fiasco, but she was more than ready to take that step with the teal male. But first she needed to take of the Rock Queen and the little Trolling and worry about getting rid of that disgusting law later so the Rock Queen could have her justice.

Finally all the bandages were off and the wounds cleaned and sterilized. Barb's injuries still looked terrible but there was already a marked improvement as her body starting to heal. Her eye was even looking better, the swelling having mostly gone done enabling her to use it once again. And while the pink female was thrilled how fast her friend was recovering, it made the Pop Queen sad that all it took was some proper food, a good night's rest, and some love and care in order to make it happen. 

Abruptly realizing how just much time had passed, Poppy quickly stripped off her dress and tried her best to not be embarrassed about being nude in front of the other troll. Failing miserably, the female's face blazed a bright pink as she reminded herself that Barb needed help in the shower and actually being in there with her was the quickest way to get them both clean. Not only that, they were also best friends and really, who hadn't bathed with their friends every now and then? 

Tossed her dress into the hamper, Poppy went to take off her panties and saw to her dismay that they were soaked in glittery blood that had overflowed the pantie liner she'd put on earlier that morning. Looking down at the rainbow colored fluid, she wondered nervously if Branch had managed to hurt her far more than she'd realized. The problem she had was that she couldn't go to any of the doctors in the village if she didn't want word of what had happened to start circulating around the village. Pop Trolls were notorious gossips and even when they were sworn to secrecy, it was pretty much accepted that a secret wouldn't remain a secret for long. They would all think that Riff had attacked her and that would put the kind Rock Troll in danger.

Poppy then brightened when it occurred to her that all she had to do was ask Essence for a check up aboard the Arenbee. It was no secret that the Funk Trolls had better doctors and better equipment, which was part of the reason why Barb was going there in the first place after all. Hopefully it wouldn't seem all that odd of a request after all she'd been through in the last few months. The best part of her idea was that Funk Trolls were far less flightier than her people and should be able to keep what happened to her on the down low. Her decision made, the pink female slipped off the garment and went to bury it in the trash when she heard the other female's horrified gasp.

“Oh my Gods! Poppy!”, the Rock Queen exclaimed, her face full of concern and sorrow. “What did that bastard do to you?!”

There was no question who the pregnant female was talking about just like there was no use in trying to deny or hide what had happened. She had known that the pink female had been injured somehow during their escape from the bunker and it didn't take a genius to put two and two together to make four. Poppy closed her eyes as she began shake as the memories threatened to return along with the panic attacks and flashbacks that went with them. Letting her bangs obscure her face, she turned and faced Barb.

“He – he was angry. Really angry when I managed to use his own logic against him in order to get you back. He sh-shoved his f-fingers inside of me and ripped and-”, she managed to get out as she trembled hard enough to make it difficult to keep her balance.

Suddenly Barb's arms were around her as the Rock Troll held her close. The pregnant female was shaking herself, obviously fighting back horrific memories of her own.

“Shh shh Pink, you don't have to tell me anything else. I know what that bastard likes to do”, the purple female stammered as she tried to fight back tears. “Gods damn it all! That sort of bullshit shouldn't happen to you! You're just too sweet and annoyingly happy and way too nice for your own good! You should have just left me down there. I am so sorry.”

“Don't say that!”, Poppy told the Rock Queen firmly as she gave her a stern look. “Don't ever say that again. If me getting hurt was the payment I had to make in order to get you out of that sadist's hands, then I would gladly do it all over again. You're my best friend Barb and I love you, Riff loves you! You mean so much to him that I'm actually jealous! The only one who should feel sorry is Branch, and I personally wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that to happen.”

Barb blinked at her, clearly surprised before she gave Poppy a huge smile that lit up her entire face and hugged her again. “Thanks Poppy”, she whispered. “I feel the same way about you too.”

The two trolls stayed in their hug for several more seconds before the Rock Queen pulled away. Furiously wiping away her tears, she let out an annoyed groan as Poppy got things ready for their bath.

“Man, I'm so fucking tired of crying all the time! I'm a goddamned queen of an entire nation for crying out loud. It's fucking bullshit!”

“Tell me about it”, the Pop Queen agreed she laid out the towels and clothing. 

When Barb didn't replay, she glanced over at the pregnant female sitting despondently on her toilet seat and realized that what she needed now was some cheering up. They both did. Trying to find a subject that wouldn't upset the other queen, the Pop Queen settled on the differences she'd noted on the way they both talked. Smiling broadly to show that she wasn't being judgmental, Poppy cleared her throat to get the other queen's attention. 

“Barb, there's one thing I wanted to point out and I don't mean this as criticism but you sure do say 'fuck' a lot.”

“Fuck yeah!”, Barb crowed happily, obviously thankful for the change in subject. “It's a great word and it has so many uses! You can use it as a transitive verb, like 'I want to fuck Riff'”

She paused and waited with a huge smile on her face as Riff shouted, “YES!” , from the other room before she continued.

“You can also use it as an adjective such as 'Branch is a fucking sadist'. Fuck can also be used as an adverb such as, 'Poppy's soft luscious body is so fucking hot and fun to play with.'”

The Rock Queen paused again and then laughed when they heard the gray male stammer, “W-what?!” and from the sound of it, walk into a wall.

Poppy gently slapped Barb on the shoulder before she started the shower as she tried not to laugh.

“Barb! Stop that! Now you're just being mean.”

“Maybe”, the other female agreed proudly, still grinning her shit-eating grin. “But the wonders of the word 'fuck' don't stop there! You can also use it as a noun, like 'I don't give a fuck' or as even a part of a word such as 'abso-fucking-lutly' or 'in-fucking-credible'! It even makes its own sentences! 'Fuck the fucking fuckers who fucking fucked with me!”

Happy to see Barb more like her old self, the Pop Queen laughed as she held out her hand to the other female. “Okay Ms. Potty-Mouth, that's quite enough of that. Time to get clean so we can go see Queen Essence.

Barb's good mood suddenly fizzled away at the thought of seeing the other queen. “Oh yeah, that. Man, I need a drink”, she said somberly as she let the pink female help her into the shower.

Poppy sighed as she pumped out a generous portion of her favorite shampoo into her hand and began to work it into Barb's bright red hair. “You can't have a drink sweetheart. It's bad for the baby.”

The Rock Queen moaned in pleasure as Poppy's fingers worked their way into her dirty scalp. “Can I have a shot of vodka?”, she asked hopefully as she leaned into the other female's touch.

“That's alcohol Barb.” 

“What about whiskey?” came the hopeful reply.

“Still alcohol.”

“Well I guess that's fuck me then, right?”, the pregnant female agreed mournfully as Poppy gave her a playful smack to the back of the head.

The two females continued to bathe in companionable silence after that, each taking solace in each other's company. Poppy could practically feel their bond of friendship deepening as she gently cleaned out all of the grease, blood, and debris that had built up in the Rock Queen's hair. She'd just managed to massage in the conditioner when the pregnant female had felt faint and had to sit down.

Mentally thanking herself for having the beautiful shower and tub combo installed in her pod last year, the pink female helped her friend to sit on one of the shower seats and went to work cleaning herself. Although she had showered in the bunker after her assault, there was something about washing herself in her own home surrounded by friends that made it feel like she wasn't only cleaning her body, but also her soul. The Pop Queen sighed as she could practically feel some of the darkness that she felt staining her since her original assault seemed to wash off and be whisked off down the drain along with the last traces of blood and filth. 

'It feels so good to be clean again!', she marveled in her head as she finished rinsing her body.

Steadying Barb as she stood back up, the pink female helped her friend wash when she needed it and made sure to back off when she didn't. The Rock Queen's normally strong and proud ego had taken a huge hit while she was being tortured and degraded at the hands of Branch. The last thing she needed from Poppy was to be made to feel like she was horribly damaged like a china doll that would break if handled too roughly. It was a delicate balancing act between helping too much and helping too little. The key was to always listen and be a good friend.

After they were through with their shower, Poppy wrapped herself in a fluffy towel before she carefully treated Barb's wounds with antibiotic paste and rebandaged them. Afterwards she'd had to help the other queen get dressed, the bath having taken more out the Rock Queen than either troll realized it would, leaving her completely exhausted. To see the vivacious and hyperactive Rock Queen reduced to the state of an invalid made Poppy's blood boil with rage, feeling far more anger at how Branch had made Barb suffer than for her own assault. 

As soon as her guest was taken care of, Poppy quickly put on her own queenly outfit for the day, wrinkling her nose in disgust as it clung to her damp body in all the wrong ways. Normally she loved to lay on her bed for a bit after her bath and let the warm air finish drying her skin, finding the ritual deeply relaxing after a hard day of work. She didn't want to embarrass her guests by marching around her home in only a towel although from the smile and wink that Barb gave her, she was pretty sure that at least one of them wouldn't mind the show.

After wrapping towels around their wet hair, the Pop Queen grabbed her basket of hair supplies and opened the bathroom door. Turning around to tell Barb to follow her, the pink female was surprised when her friend looked away as she stayed seated on the toilet, shame and embarrassment radiating from the pregnant female like heat from the summer sun.

“I don't know if I can make it to the bedroom Pink. I'm - I'm pretty dizzy and I don't feel so hot”, she mumbled apologetically as she looked at everything else other than the other troll.

Before Poppy could say a word, Riff was pushing past her and effortlessly picked Barb and cradled her in his arms. 

“Don't worry Sweetie”, the gray male said ecstatically. “You're awesome boyfriend's totally got this!”

The Rock Queen gave him a look that screamed 'You've got to be kidding me', before she covered her eyes with her hands.

“Gods, can this day get any more embarrassing?”, she moaned irritably.

“Well, we still need to see Queen Essence!”, Poppy playfully reminded her as she followed the two Rock Trolls into her bedroom.

Barb gave her an flat look, clearly unimpressed with her attempt at humor. “Thanks for the reminder Pink”, she said sarcastically as Riff laid her on the large fluffy bed. Turning to face her boyfriend, she gave the gray male a dirty look.

“And don't call me 'Sweetie'”, she grumbled petulantly. “It's creepy.”

“Then how about 'Cutie Pie'?”, Riff grinned at the grumpy female.

“No.”

“Babe?”

“NO!”

“I got it! Baby Girl?”

“I swear to the Gods Riff, if you don't knock it off, I WILL hurt you.”

Riff put his chin on his hand as he settled on the bed, looking to be deep in thought as Poppy climbed behind Barb and started to work on her long red hair. The lack of jewelry and make up along with the loss of her signature mohawk made the purple female look very different from what she was used to seeing. After giving it a brief thought, the Pop Queen easily decided that she loved the more natural look just as much as her Rocker one. Branch had been wrong about many things, but the one he had been right about was that Barb was one attractive female, no matter what she was wearing.

Barb fell asleep as she leaned against Riff's chest while Poppy continued to work on the knots and tangles in the Rock Queen's red hair. It looked like Branch either hadn't allowed the pregnant female to take care of herself or she hadn't been physically able to. As she gently smoothed out another fluffy lock of hair, the other queen decided that it had probably been a little bit of both. She was combing out the last bit of hair when Riff jerked his head up in excitement and smiled, waking the Rock Queen in the process.

“I got it”, he shouted joyfully. “I'm going to call you my Rock Goddess!”

The pregnant female looked at him sleepily for a moment as she tried to process what he'd said and then burst out laughing. “Wow! Sappy much? That's a little over the top, but coming from you, man? I think I kinda like it. Thanks Riff.”

The male Rock Troll practically glowed with happiness as he gave her a fist bump and then hugged her tightly to his chest. Barb glared at him exasperatedly and tried to push him away with no success.

“What the hell's up with all the touchy feely stuff today?”, she grumbled. “You've been around Pop Trolls for too long, man! We don't do this kind of crap!”

“First off, yes we do. We just don't do it as much”, the gray male happily corrected his girlfriend, not seeming the least bit concerned that she was looking at him like she wanted to bite off his face. “Next, you can't tell me that it doesn't feel good.”

He looked down at Barb and waited until the purple female blushed and looked away, not willing to lie even to win what was to Poppy, a very strange argument.

“Fine. It does. I like it”, the Rock Queen conceded moodily. “Now let me go.”

“Not until you hug me back!”

Barb bared her teeth angrily at the other Rock Troll and for a moment Poppy thought she was going to attack him. Riff still seemed unconcerned as he smiled at the snarling female and gently rubbed his jaw against her now fluffy and tangle free hair. After a minute or two the purple female calmed down, her sour mood gone as if it had never existed, and tenderly hugged Riff back. Then suddenly the two Rock Trolls started kissing passionately to the point where Poppy was getting extremely uncomfortable even being in the same room, much less just inches away. 

While she was wondering if she should say something or just leave, there was a knock on the door. Relieved at having an easy out, the pink female dashed from the room and went and opened the door.

Waiting for her out on her front porch was a four-legged male Funk Troll wearing a hat that proudly proclaimed him to be in the service of the royal family. Behind him floated a beautiful small airship that bobbed gently up and down on the breeze. The strange craft as well as its blue and green fluffy pilot had already begun attracting the attention of the Pop Trolls below and given how badly things went with Riff, Poppy decided that the sooner they all left, the safer the Funk Troll would be.

“Greetings and good vibes to you and your kin, Queen Poppy”, the Funk Troll said respectfully in a deep bass voice. “I have come to ferry you and Queen Barb to the Royal Airship, the Arenbee, at the request of Her Majesty, Essence, the Queen of Funk.”

“Of course!”, the pink troll said cheerfully, genuinely happy to meet a potential friend. “We'll just be a few minutes longer. Would you like to come inside and have a cupcake or maybe some orange juice while you wait? Oooo, I know! You can look through some of my new scrapbooks if you'd like. I just got one in that I had imported from the Classical Kingdom.”

The blue and green male gave her a bright smile and shook his head. “Awww! You really are as sweet as Prince Cooper said you'd be! No thank you, Queen Poppy. I'll just wait out here. It's not everyday I get to be in a forest that isn't zooming about in the sky at high speeds!”

“Okay then! We'll be out in just a sec”, Poppy smiled before gently shutting the door.

Racing back to her room, Poppy quickly finished brushing her own hair before putting it up in its topknot and putting on one of her crowns. Hearing a commotion, she turned to look at her bed where Riff was attempting to pick up Barb against her will. The pregnant female was putting up more of a fight than the Pop Queen thought she'd be able to in her condition when suddenly it ended when she punched him in the face. While it wasn't a strong punch by any means, it was enough to stun the male Rock Troll and make him back off.

“What the hell Barb?”, he growled angrily as he rubbed his cheek. “I'm just trying to help you!”

The Rock Queen glared daggers at the other troll, still growling softly under her breath as well. “I told you man, back the fuck off! I don't need your help. If – If I can't even walk to the fucking door by myself...I'm not weak damn it! I'm the goddamn Queen of Hard Rock!”

“Who said you were weak?”, Riff asked incredulously as he peered at her in surprise from under his black stocking cap. “Look, I don't know everything that's happened to you Barb. But from what I do know, if it had been me, I wouldn't be here arguing with you now. I'd have found some way to end it, one way or another. You're the strongest person I've ever met! But the best part of having friends and people who care about you and stuff is you don't have to go it alone. I just want to help the woman I love and I know you've got my sorry ass when it's my turn to need you.

Barb gaped at the gray male in astonishment, the look in her pink eyes incredibly vulnerable, before she looked down and started picking at Poppy's bright yellow bedspread.

“I know”, she said faintly. “It's just – I can't be weak anymore. I just can't. I'm so tired of being weak and afraid.”

Riff reached out and brushed Barb's bruised cheek with gentle fingers and smiled sweetly when the Rock Queen leaned into his touch. “Needing help isn't the same as being weak”, he reassured her lovingly. “I promise that no one who isn't a complete asshole or something sees you as anything but the bad-ass Queen of Hard Rock that you are!”

Smiling at her boyfriend appreciatively, the Rock Queen reached up and grabbed the gray male by shirt and yanked him down and into a very aggressive kiss. Riff seemed to thoroughly enjoy it as he just as fervently kissed her back. The sweet moment only lasted a few seconds before they realized that they weren't alone. Feeling Poppy watching them, both Rock Trolls slowly looked over at the pink female, their cheeks a bright red. 

The Pop Queen was practically quivering with joy as she watched the couple, grinning from ear to ear. ”You guys are so cute!”, she squealed loudly. “Don't stop on my account!”

Barb groaned exasperatedly as she flopped over backwards on the bed and covered her eyes with her arm. “Don't we have someplace to go?”, she sighed wearily.

OOOO

Queen Essence tapped her fore paw impatiently as she waited in her sitting room for the two younger queens to arrived. She was not looking forward to spending a full week with the Queen of Hard Rock aboard her family's personal aircraft. The thought of that brash little bitch strutting around and dirtying the vibes of her home away from home with her nasty-ass attitude made the older queen's hackles raise and left a bad taste in her mouth. The Funk Queen had done her best to forgive the other female for what she'd done to her family and her people, but just the memory of the attack brought all the hate and rage right back.

But while the Funk Queen didn't care much for the Rock Troll, she did care about Poppy. She had been skeptical at first when Cooper had told her about the Pop Queen. It seemed inconceivable that the leader of their age-old enemy could possibly be so nice. However, after she'd met the tiny pink female, she had to admit that her long lost son had been right. Poppy was almost impossible not to like with her kind heart and sunny personality. Over time, Essence had begun to see her as the daughter she never had, so when Poppy had started crying while she begged her to help the nasty little Rock bitch out, all the silver and blue female could do was say yes.

Hearing muffled voices outside of her door, Essence rose off of her stool-like chair just as the door opened and the two other queens entered her sitting room. Poppy looked tired and stressed but it was the other female that caught the Funk Queen's horrified attention.

The Rock Queen was almost unrecognizable. Every bone was visible in the young female's gaunt body with her cheek and collarbones jutting out of her skin so sharply that it was a wonder how they didn't cut right on through. Almost every inch of visible skin that wasn't covered by her badly sewn outfit was either bandaged, bruised, or had healing wounds. The poor thing was undeniably pregnant, her belly sticking further out than it should have at that point even given her condition, making the Funk Queen wonder if she was having twins.

What shocked Essence the most wasn't the way the Rock Queen looked, but rather how she acted. Gone was the confidant and loud self-assured female that had taken her ship by force and kidnapped her people. In it's place was a broken scared little thing, one that cringed low to the floor when she looked at the Funk Queen, her terrified pink eyes showing that she fully expected more pain and suffering to come now that she was there. Try as she might, the blue and silver female could no longer see the monster that terrorized her dreams at night. Instead she saw a scared and hurting little girl who had been in way over her head during the war and then found herself in every women's worst nightmare, just like Poppy had said.

The Funk Queen kept silent as both queens sat on the low soft stools that were commonly used by the four-legged members of her tribe. Watching the injured female closely, she was disturbed when Poppy had to steady the Rock Queen as she tried to carefully sit down. After they'd settled in their seats, the three queens exchange polite greetings, Barb whispering so softly that she almost couldn't hear it. Then before Essence could start their meeting, the Rock Queen nervously cleared her throat before she started to speak.

“I wanted to say thank you for, um, helping me and everything, even though I know you probably didn't want to and Pink had to guilt you into it. So, sorry too, I guess?”, Barb murmured brokenly, obviously on the edge of tears. “I mean, I know you probably still hate me, you know, because of what I did during the war and I don't blame you for it or anything. I know I kinda deserve it.”

The Rock Queen paused as she lost her battle with her emotions and began to softly cry as she laid her hands on her abdomen. “I guess what I'm saying is that when you h-hurt me after Poppy leaves, just p-please be c-careful of my baby. It's not his fault h-he has shit parents.”

Both Pop and Funk queens stared at the pregnant female in horror, neither knowing what to say. Essence was stunned that the poor child thought that she would hurt her, although she had to acknowledge the dark little voice in the back of her mind that said if things had been different, it might have once been a thought she'd have entertained. Firmly dismissing such negative thoughts, the Essence rose from her throne-like stool and sat on the floor next to the much smaller troll. She gently laid a fore paw on her bandaged shoulder and rubbed gently, ignoring Barb's involuntary flinch as she looked into the other female's tear-filled pink eyes.

“Sweetheart”, the older queen said firmly. “No one makes Queen Essence do anything she doesn't want to do. Yes, Poppy did ask me to rescue you, but I decided to do it because no matter what you did, no one deserves what that son of bitch was doing to you. Next, I don't hate you, not any more. What I see before me is a little girl who did what she thought was right, but completely missed the mark. And when I say completely missed the mark, I mean completely.”

Essence frowned mentally as Barb watched her fearfully, like one would watch a hungry predator who had gotten a little too close, worried about the young female's mental health. Giving her a test, she was  
relieved when she saw that her 'little girl' comment made the younger troll bristle slightly, showing the Funk Queen that Branch may have damaged the Rock Queen's soul, but he hadn't had enough time to completely break it. That was wonderful news for her Rock Trolls and even better news for everyone else in the five other Troll Kingdoms.

“I'm not a little girl”, Barb muttered sullenly while she glared at Essence.

Essence for her part just glared back until the Rock Queen looked away and muttered a quiet, “Sorry”.

“Now like I was saying”, the Funk Queen continued, her tone letting the pregnant female know that she would not be interrupted again while she was speaking. “It's obvious that you still have a lot to learn about being a queen, especially on the subjects of working and getting along with the other Troll Nations. Don't feel bad, Poppy had a lot to learn as well. We'll try to fix the gaps in your education while you're here and afterwards you're free to use what you're leaned or not as you see fit. But I assure you that you'll have a much easier time dealing with the other tribes if you do.”

The older queen trailed off as she took a closer look at her new charge. Although Barb was trying her best to pay attention, she kept almost nodding off, her overworked body trying to fall asleep to save energy. It only took one look at the tight lines around the Rock Troll's mouth and eyes and the way that her thin hands shook to tell her what the problem was.

She turned her furious gaze to the Pop Queen who had obviously stopped paying attention somewhere in the middle of her lecture. Realizing that her friend and teacher was angry with her, Poppy jumped in her seat and looked at her with wide eyes.

“Poppy!”, the Funk Queen said the her no-nonsense voice she was famous for. “When was the last time you fed this child? ”

The pink female looked surprised and then a little guilty as she looked down at her hug time bracelet. “Um, six this morning?”

Essence gave the Pop Queen an impressive glare as she rose to her feet. “What's the matter with you? You're supposed to be taking care of her and here it is way past lunch time. The poor thing is literally just skin and bones. She needs to be eating constantly, not just at meal times. Now you two get your little fuzzy butts up and come with me. The dining room isn't that far from here. After we've eaten, I'm going going to take you two to see Doctor Jamal and get you checked out. He was my doctor when I was pregnant with the boys and he's a wonderful male. You're just gonna love him.”

She waited until Poppy helped Barb to her feet in order to make sure that both trolls were paying attention to her before she spoke. “Now girls? I want to make absolutely sure that you both hear this. Barb honey, no one, and I mean no one, is going to harm you in any way while you're here, not while I have anything to say about it. You didn't come here to be punished, you're here to heal and so that I can assure the other leaders that what was done to you wasn't some elaborate plot by Pop to take over the other kingdoms. Now let's go. I've had my personal chef stew some prime cuts of meat until they were nice and soft, just for you.”

Ignoring the Rock Queen's look of horror as well as her muttered “You gotta be fucking kidding me”, Essence pushed open the door and walked slowly down the hall, trusting that the two queens would follow. It was one thing to give a firm push when it was needed and quite another to do everything for them. The blue and silver female smiled when she heard the two females following behind her and had no qualms listening to their quiet whispers.

“Hey Pink. Is she always like this? You know, bossy and mother-y?”

“Yeah. But only when we're not doing official Queen stuff and the other leaders aren't around. Isn't it great? I've never had a mom before!”

“You're fucking crazy.”

“Yeah, I get that all the time. But you can't tell me it doesn't feel at least a little nice to have someone caring about you like that.”

“....”

“Come on!”

The Funk Queen was having a hard and hard time holding back her laughter as the two went on back and forth, almost like they had been friends for their entire lives.

“Come on!!!”

“Fine!”, she heard the Rock Queen snap. “I do like it, okay? It's nice that I have another troll who seems to actually care about me as a person. Are you happy now?”

“YES!”

“Then shut the fuck up!”

Unable to hold back her laughter any longer, the blue and silver troll chuckled loudly as they reached the dining room.


	9. I'll Fight Hell To Hold You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Barb is off healing in the Funk Trolls med bay for the next two weeks, Poppy and Riff are left to oversee the construction of Poppy's bigger pod. Queen Essence sends word to one of the Rock Queen's closest friends to come and stay with the trio as the danger around them reaches new levels. As Branch works to complete the next part of his plan it soon becomes clear to Poppy just what he's really after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING:  
> This chapter contains stalking, threats, violence and cursing.
> 
> Notes  
> Prince D's name is Darnell, just in case some people don't know. It isn't stated in the movie, but it is stated in the source material. There are also several references to Trolls: The Beat Goes On, so if something doesn't make sense, just ask. But really, you really need to go and watch the show. It really helps flesh out the characters and shows that Poppy can feel more emotion than just being happy or annoyed that people aren't agreeing with her.
> 
> I've added nuzzling (gently rubbing with your nose and mouth on another person to show gentle affection) as one of the ways that trolls show affection. Poppy does it to Branch during the opening of The Beat Goes On which causes him to smile. I figured that Pop Trolls would have more than one (G rated) way of showing affection and since nuzzling is canon, I went with that. Then I expanded it to all types of the trolls both to show that they all came from one family and as a way to convey emotions between different societies. I first used it in the last chapter and decided to use it as our new little family bonds and becomes closer. (Thought I'd clarify just in case)
> 
> I've never particularly liked that the heights of most of the trolls were the same with only body proportions being most of the differences that set them apart from one another. It doesn't make for a very descriptive narrative. So I gave them different heights and builds in my story to make it more fun to read and write. Here is my height chart that's been converted into feet and inches rather than just the inches trolls normally are. 
> 
> Pop Troll Average:  
> Males: 5'9”  
> Females: 5'4”
> 
> Poppy – 5'2”  
> Barb – 5'0”  
> Branch – 5'9”  
> Riff – 6'0”  
> Sid Fret – 6'4”  
> Thrash (young) - 6'5”
> 
> Oh, and Poppy's little confession later in the story. That was me. I may seem super cool and laid back, but in reality I'm kind of a dork.

In a world of doubt and danger  
You see it everywhere  
Ooh, your friends turn into strangers  
Does anybody care?

But when all hope is lost  
I'm going to be there, whatever the cost  
When you feel lost  
Someone to hold you with all of their might  
Through the darkness night, I'll be there

~I'll Fight Hell To Hold You (Kiss)

Lightning flashed in the distance as large threatening storm clouds slowly rolled in, causing both Riff and Poppy to look up briefly in alarm. However, not even the loud rumble of thunder that accompanied it seconds later could dampen the Pop Queen's high spirits as they waited next to the royal flybug stables for her newest roommate to arrive. Soon the pink female would have three Rock Trolls living with her and she couldn't be happier even if she tried. Fortunately, the Fuzzlings who built and maintained the village's structures hadn't minded the last minute change when she'd asked them to add a fourth room to her pod which was rapidly becoming the largest dwelling in Pop Village.

It had all started when Prince D had come for a surprise visit just three days after she'd left Barb in his mother's care. At first the Pop Queen had been terrified that something had happened to Barb at first, but immediately felt better after the pink and gold striped male had promised that the other female was doing just fine. While he promised to give them updates and funny stories about the pregnant female and his family, the Funk Prince was there primarily to deliver a personal letter on his mother's behalf. She hadn't understood at first why the Hip Hop male had looked so grave when he'd given her the psychedelically colored envelope, but after reading the several pages long letter she did.

After she'd left, Essence had spent an entire day just talking with Barb, trying to find out what had happened to the younger queen and what kinds of information she might have learned during her captivity. After listening to her story, it was completely evident that Branch had been acting on his own, completely exonerating the Pop Nation as well as Poppy herself of any wrongdoing. While the Funk Queen had been glad she could add Barb's first hand account to her official report, she had been concerned when the pregnant female flat out refused to talk about anything that Branch had done to her other than to say she'd been raped. 

The blue and silver female had been tempted at first to let the matter drop, but her mother's intuition had practically screamed at her that the younger queen desperately needed someone to confide in. Trusting in her instincts, Essence had gently let the Rock Queen know that she was there if the other female ever wanted to talk. Barb had just rolled her eyes at first and had stomped out, but was back just a few minutes later with a devastated expression on her face. Over half a cheesecake and some hair brushing to help them bond, the purple female had slowly told her all the things Branch had done, leaving the normally vocal Funk Queen speechless.

Although Essence hadn't gone into detail, what she had said left Poppy sick to her stomach afterwards. Branch had brutally tortured and maimed the pregnant female for hours at a time for any perceived infraction or for no reason at all. Afterwards he'd rape and beat her, not even stopping when Barb had passed out from either the pain or due to her malnutrition. If that wasn't bad enough, the teal male had also tried to break the Rock Queen's proud spirit, whispering filthy horrible lies that had just enough truth behind them to be believable and making promises he never intended to keep. It was so bad that if the letter had been written by any other troll, Poppy would have accused them of lying, even after seeing the evidence of Branch's cruelty first hand.

Concerned for Barb's mental health, the Funk Queen had gently asked if there was anything she could do to help make things better. The Rock Queen hadn't been able to think of anything at first until she had whispered that she wished her friend Sid Fret was there before the pregnant female had cried herself to sleep. That was all it took for Essence to pen her letter, wake her sleeping son and send the half-asleep prince out to Pop Village at the crack of dawn.

Darnell had taken it all in stride, especially after he'd heard what his mother had been muttering under her breath all the way to the launch bay. He happily confided to Riff that once you were adopted by his mom, she'd go to the ends of the world for you, just like she would for her biological children, something Poppy already knew. Another letter was already on it's way to Barb's friend explaining what had happened and what Essence wanted him to do.

The fact that Barb wanted another friend with her made complete sense to the Pop Queen. Rock Trolls were extremely social creatures who were never alone if they could help it, preferring to eat, sleep, and play in the company of other trolls. After being raped and tortured for weeks by Branch and then being left with complete strangers aboard an airship several thousand feet up in the while the Rock Queen was pregnant and in pain, it was more surprising that the purple female hadn't asked for all her friends. Poppy knew she would have.

Riff had had to physically describe Sid Fret before Poppy remembered chatting with the Rocker several times in the hospital while he took his turn guarding Barb's hospital room. She was ashamed to admit that she hadn't paid any real attention to the succession of Rock Trolls that sat watch except to think that they were being silly and worrying over nothing now that the war was over. But now that she knew about Branch, the pink female wondered just how many times the Rock Queen's people had managed to save her life simply by being there.

After reassuring Poppy that she had nothing to apologize for, the drummer had happily told her just about everything he knew about the large purple male. Sid Fret had been his friend since they'd met at the memorial service that King Thrash had held for the dead after his disastrous first world tour ten years ago when Riff had been twelve. The pink female had been shocked to find out that even after all their heart to heart talks they'd had since the Rock Troll had first starting living with her, she was only just discovering that Riff's dad had been the Rock King's bassist and once of his closest friends.

Sid become Barb's friend and rhythm guitarist later after he'd joined her band right after she'd become queen two years ago. He was fiercely loyal and had on occasion acted as part of the Rock Queen's security team before and after her concerts in an effort to keep the wild and crazy female safe. Although he often came across as dim-witted and stupid at times, he was actually quite intelligent and could often be found reading bizarrely random technical manuals he kept tucked away in his hair when he wasn't practicing his music or hanging with his friends.

After she'd heard all that Riff had to say about the guitarist, Poppy just knew she would feel a lot safer after the other male came to live with them. While Branch hadn't approached her directly since she'd helped Barb escape from his twisted grasp, the Pop Queen had seen him just about everywhere she went as she preformed her queenly duties around the village. He never did anything directly threatening, or even something she could call him out on. Instead, the teal male would just watch her with eyes that blazed with lust and rage as he lounged against a tree or mushroom while she sang and danced or helped solve one of the village's never ending stream of problems.

Branch's relentless harassment caused the Pop Queen to live in constant fear and paranoia, a state was virtually unknown to their kind, even during their captivity with the Bergen. It had gotten so bad that she'd had to start taking one of Doctor Moonbloom's elixirs to help treat her increasingly severe stomach pain. She had attempted to keep the teal male's stalking a secret from Riff, worried that that he'd run off and challenge the other male, but soon had to confess what was happening after a particularly bad nightmare.

To Poppy's dismay, the Rock Troll had insisted on coming along with her whenever she left the pod, despite the real danger to his health. Fortunately other than a couple of thrown cupcakes and more than a few nasty comments, most of the other Pop Trolls left him alone. Although Poppy didn't like the way her people talked down to Riff like he was too stupid to understand more than the most basic of words, the gray male seemed to take it stride and did his best to be kind and polite to everyone he met.

Unfortunately, her friend's presence didn't seem to detour Branch's harassment in the slightest. The teal male still followed them around the village, just smirking as if he knew a funny secret that no one else did as he watched every movement Poppy made. The only change in his behavior was now he watched Riff as well, his blue eyes studying the other male's lanky form with an air of contemplation.

But while the bad happenings were definitely outweighing the good at by that point, there was still enough bright spots in Poppy's life that filled her with joy. One such instance that was actually a mixture of both was the pink female's visit to the clinic on board the Arenbee.

Poppy had waited until Barb had fallen asleep after her examination before asking Essence for permission to get a check up as well, hoping to pass the request off as just another fit of whimsy that her people were known for. For a few seconds, Poppy had thought that she'd managed to pull it off until she had seen the way the older queen's mouth had tightened and the look of sadness and regret in her eyes. Fortunately the Funk Queen hadn't asked any questions as they went back to the med bay and asked Dr. Jamal to take the pink female into the back for an examination.

The doctor, a red and blue fluffy bipedal male, had respectfully promised to keep Poppy's information private at her insistence as they walked into his office. But while the knowledge that her privacy would be maintained help sooth some of the pink female's many worries, it hadn't stopped her from having a full blown panic attack at the sight of the empty exam table. Just the thought of having her genitals exposed for the strange male to touch had her vomiting up her lunch into the nearby trash can.

The Funk Troll had been very upset at seeing a member of the normally happy tribe so terrified and had urgently called for a female nurse to come and assist him. As they tried to calm the Pop Queen down, it was easy to see from the looks in their eyes that the two medical trolls had a pretty good idea of what had happened to her, which somehow made the situation even worse. Finally after several minutes of comforting words and two cupcakes with extra sprinkles, the pink female calmed down enough to tell them what had happened to her.

Even now, Poppy was ashamed to admit that she'd had to have the nurse hold her during her vaginal exam, although Dr. Jamal did his best to finish the exam quickly while trying to be as careful as possible. Although both Funk Trolls had spent the entire time trying to reassure her that her feelings and reactions were completely normal after what she'd gone though, the pink female couldn't shake the dark thought that she was a failure as a Pop Troll for not shrugging her attack off and bouncing right back into being happy.

After the bipedal male had finished, the yellow and pink nurse had helped the Pop Queen dress and then had bundled her up in a fluffy blanket in a way that made the pink female feel safe. Snuggling into the soft warm material that she suspected was actually felted from Funk Troll hair, Poppy waited with the other female until the doctor had come back with his written report. The kindly doctor had been shaking with rage as he'd tried to calmly tell her his finding, which only hammered home just how dangerous Branch had become.

Just as Poppy had thought, her vaginal canal had suffered massive amounts of deep abrasions while her cervix had been horrifically torn and bruise by Branch's attempts to penetrate it with his fingers. Luckily there was no permanent damage and although she'd be in pain for a while, the pink female would be fully healed in just a few weeks thanks to the Funk Trolls more advanced medicine. The Pop Queen had been so ecstatic that the teal male hadn't robbed her of the ability to carry Trollings, that she almost didn't mind the two large pills she had to choke down twice a day or the cream she inserted into herself nightly.

A gentle and loving touch on her shoulder broke Poppy out of her tumultuous thoughts. Looking up at Riff with a huge smile, she then turned her head to the sky in excitement as he pointed to the far off horizon. She couldn't see anything at first, but after squinting her bright pink eyes, the Pop Queen could just make out the spiked flybug that the Hard Rock tribes used as mounts and the tiny figure riding it against the dark clouds that seemed to chase them across the sky. Seeing her newest guest filled the pink troll with so much joy that she had to do a little happy dance to burn off her extra energy making the drummer laugh as he watched her with amusement. 

Finally, after what felt like hours, the Rock critter landed with an exhausted thump and the troll they'd been impatiently waiting for carefully slid off.

The first thing Poppy noticed about Sid Fret was that the Rock Troll was easily one of tallest males she'd ever seen in her life that wasn't from the Funk tribe. While it was true that most of the members of the Hard Rock tribe tended to be a bit taller and heavier built than Pop Trolls, Barb being a notable exception, the guitarist was easily a head and shoulders taller than the pink female and even topped Riff's six foot even by at least a few inches. It left the pink female who was a bit shorter than average for her kind feeling like a child in comparison.

The next that stood out about the purple male was that he was completely ripped. The guitarist's large frame was packed with muscle, revealing that he did a lot more than just play musical instruments, which he proudly showed off by only wearing an open black leather vest and tight black pants. His beautiful long fluffy black hair, which was pushed away from his face by a zebra print headband, fell down his back in long poofy strands reminded Poppy of the smoke trails given off by spent fireworks. Black leather cuffs similar to the ones that Barb wore along with several silver earrings and a zipper-like belt completed his Rocker look.

Although Riff had described Sid Fret in almost perfect detail, nothing could have prepared the Pop Queen for the real thing. She found the male to be intimidating, especially since he didn't seem all that interested in coming over and making friends. Instead, he briefly flashed she and Riff the Rocker horns and then turned back around and began untying the three large trunks on the back of his beetle while the stable hands glared at him in disgust. Ignoring the fuming Pop Trolls, the Rocker moved his luggage well away from the insect before going back and carefully looking the critter over.

Just as Poppy was beginning to have serious doubts about her decision on having the other male live with them, she saw Sid whisper something to the flybug before giving it light slap to make it fly in the direction of the open feeding stations located around the critter stable. Only after the creature had been accepted by the large beetle herd and was happily munching away at the provided fodder did the tall Rock Troll turn around and walk over to greet them.

“Sorry 'bout that”, he drawled in a thick Rocker accent when he got close. “Whiskey and I got caught in a nasty headwind on our way here and things went to shit pretty fast. Hell, I'd just be a smear on some tree right now if it hadn't been for her. There's no way I could just leave without makin' sure she was okay and taking my crap off her back.”

Whatever the Pop Queen had expected the tall purple male to say, it certainly wasn't that. While her people loved their critters, most Pop Trolls cared more about having fun than taking care of the animals that helped them in their day to day life. That important task was inevitably left to the few of her kind who delighted in caring from the creatures and not just in their companionship. Poppy herself was a member of that small group and it genuinely moved her that he would care more about the health of his flybug than making a good first impression with the Queen of the Pop Trolls.

Looking up into Sid's kind violet eyes, the Rocker suddenly didn't seem threatening at all. In fact, now that her preceptors weren't clouded by fear, Poppy realized to her joy that he was actually rather handsome. Giving in to the sudden overwhelming urge to hug, the Pop Queen launched herself at the tall guitarist and hugged him around the chest as best she could. She held her breath for a second as he stiffened in alarm at her sudden embrace before relaxing a few seconds later.

“It's a Pop Troll thing man”, she heard Riff laugh. “Just go with it”

“Sorry!”, Poppy sniffed as she fought back tears of happiness and hugged the purple male harder. “I'm just so happy that you're here.”

Sid laughed, the sound sending little shivers of delight through the Pop Queen's body before leaning over and giving her a gentle hug in return. “Sweet. I always enjoy hearing that from a pretty female. I'm stoked to be here too. Name's Sid Fret, but you can call me Sid.”

Suddenly remembering her manners, the Pop Queen reluctantly stepped away from the purple male and blushed a dark pink when he gave her a huge amused smile. 

“Um, welcome to Pop Village! I'm Queen Poppy, which I guess you already knew. But you don't have to call me Queen or anything! Since I just know we're gonna be the best of friends, you can simply call me Poppy if you want to!”

Mentally kicking herself for sounding like a dork, the pink female could feel herself blush harder as she tried to remember what to say next. “Oh yeah! Since my pod is still under construction, we'll be staying at my friend Cooper's home until the Fuzzlings are able to finish it. I don't know if Essence told you, but Barb's going to have to stay with her for another week or so while the doctors take care of her and the baby. I know you were probably hoping she'd be here, but on the bright side, that gives us plenty of time to get things ready for her when she comes home!”

“Cool. Thanks”, the guitarist acknowledged placidly before moving over to greet Riff. “Any of you guys wanna give me the lowdown before we start this shit show?”

“That douchebag Branch keeps following us around and scaring the shit out of Poppy”, Riff told the other Rock Troll gravely as they hugged and slapped each other on the back. “He hasn't gone after us or anything but it's really starting to fuck up her health and stuff. Fucker's still pissed that she managed save Barb from all the sick and twisted stuff he was doing to her.”

“So, you want me to like, beat the shit out of him for you?”, Sid asked casually as they walked back over to his luggage. “Because I've so been wanting to do that for like, forever. I can even make it look like an animal got him if you want.”

Poppy looked at the purple male wide-eyed in alarm as she wildly shook her head. “No! I mean, I'm really grateful that you'd be willing to do that for me, but no! As Queen I can't condone violence against my people, not even Branch.

Unfortunately, he broken any lays I can punish him for, not even after what he did to Barb. This kind of violence happens so rarely among my kind that we don't even have those kinds of laws for him to break. I'm trying to get that to change, but in order for new laws to go into effect, I need more support from my people than I have. 

Right now they either don't believe we have a need for laws that would hold Branch accountable for what he's done or they feel that I'm overreaching and that what happens in Pop Troll family groups is private and none of my business. But the real problem is that the whole village views Branch as a hero and frankly don't care if Barb or her baby suffers as long as he's happy.”

Sid paused as he leaned down to puck up one of the trunks and looked into the distance for several seconds. While his handsome face was almost completely blank, giving the the tall male a slow-witted look, just a curious glance at his violet eyes showed the Pop Queen that he was busy thinking about the problem at hand.

“So you're sayin', all I need to do is wait until he royally fucks up and pisses everyone off before I can go after him”, he mused out loud before he looked down at the pink female. “Okay then. I'm gonna need to read up on your laws if I'm gonna do this right. No point going off half cocked if it's gonna come back and bite me in the ass.”

“Oooo”, Poppy faltered as she nervously rubbed the back of her neck, not knowing how to broach the delicate subject. “Um, I can get you the ones in our library to read, but I'm afraid that they're pretty basic. I do have more detailed text, but they're kinda hard for most trolls to even read, much less understand. I'd be happy to share my notes with you if you wanted to read them instead.”

“Don't worry Poppy!”, laughed Riff as he put his arm around the larger male. “Sid may look like an idiot with that look on his face, but he'll be able to read those creepy books, no problem.

“Dude!”, the guitarist shouted angrily as he pushed the other Rock Troll away. “That's so not cool!”

“What? I just told her that you could understand her books!”, Riff growled as he threw his hands in the air in disbelief. 

“You called me an idiot”, the other male countered.

“I said that you looked like an idiot, not that you were one!”, the drummer yelled back as he tried to tackle the much heavier built Rock Troll to the ground. “But for some reason you're trying to prove me wrong!”

Sid looked at him in amusement for a few seconds before he flipped the smaller male over his shoulder and let him fall to the ground behind him with a loud thud. Suddenly both Rock Trolls were on the ground fighting in the long grass of the flybug landing field. Poppy worriedly watched the two males fight while she wondered what in sugar just happened and whether or not she should intervention before someone got hurt. Then just as suddenly as they'd started, Riff and Sid stopped fighting and were laughing and koking with each other while they laid on the soft grass trying to catch their breaths.

After glancing up at the Pop Queen and seeing the worry on her face, Riff's happy smile fell away. “It's okay Poppy, I promise!”, he hurriedly called out to her. “We're not pissed or anything. It's just a little fun between friends! It's how we Rock Trolls blow off a little steam or whatever. Trust me, you'll know when it's a real fight. Sid's just a little mad because I embarrassed him in front of a pretty girl.”

Much to the pink female's surprise, Sid blushed a bright violet before he punched the gray male hard in the arm, causing him to rear backwards and grab his arm in pain.

“Hey man, be careful! I'm still healing!”, the drummer complained loudly as he glowered at his friend.

“Then stop doing dumb shit you need punching for!”, the larger Rocker shot back before the two males gave each other a friendly fist bump and a flash of horns before helping each other to their feet.

After dusting himself off, Riff bent down and attempted to pick up one of the giant chests and then stopped, obviously surprised at its weight.

“What the hell Sid?”, the gray male called out as he braced himself and slowly managed to lift the trunk and slide it on his back in order to carry it. “What the hell did you put in there? Rocks?”

Shrugging, the guitarist easily hefted the other two pieces of luggage onto his shoulders before answering. “Clothes mostly, well that and some of my books. We're gonna need 'em if we're gonna be staying' here for a while. I also brought some of Barb's jewelry and makeup since that fucktard burned what she'd brought with her. The rest is toiletries, foods, and medicines the royal doctor said she'd need.”

“What, no instruments, or anything?”, Riff complained sadly. “I really miss playing music.”

“Sorry man, no room. Poor Whiskey was overloaded as it was. After what you and the Funk Queen said in your letters, I figured it was better to get here fast and then go back and make a special trip when shit died down a little.”

The drummer sighed in agreement causing Poppy to give the two males a hug smile, happy that harmony had been restored amongst her friends once again. Unfortunately, the feeling didn't last long when the pink female realized that she hadn't warned her newest guest of the reception he was likely to receive once they'd reached the village.

“I hate to have to say this, but you might not get that cheerful of a reception from my people when we reach the village”, the Pop Queen told Sid regretfully. “I've been trying to show them how awesome Rock Trolls are, but they still have a long way to go. I'm so very sorry.”

Sid gave her a small playful smirk. “It's cool”, he said mildly, his tone at odds with amusement that danced in his violet eyes. “It won't be the first place I've been made to feel unwelcome at. As long as I have a safe place to sleep, some food, and I can hang out with my buds, I'm good to go.”

“He's not kidding!”, Riff laughed to the pink female. “You really need to hear the story on how he got banned from this little pub in Caldera-”

The gray Rock Troll cut his story short with a high pitched “Eep!”, when he looked up and saw the larger male scowling down at him.

“Remember? Dumb shit you need punching for?”, he reminded the drummer as he grinned wickedly, showing far more pointed teeth than necessary and completely baring the impressively large set of canines that male Rock Trolls were famous for.

Now that she better understood how Rock Trolls interacted with their friends, Poppy found herself laughing at their antics as she happily led them from the stables and along the path that would eventually lead them into the heart of Pop Village. 

While she had originally planned to just have everyone fly to Cooper's house, the steadily increasing winds along with Sid's near death experience convinced her that it wasn't a good idea anymore. As it began to drizzle, the Pop Queen only hoped that the rapidly worsening storm would drive her people inside. The last thing any of them needed was a repeat of the violent mob that had tried to stone Riff to death when he'd first come to the village.

By the time the trio had arrived, the drizzle had steadily increased and the wind tore at their hair and clothing, making it difficult to walk. To Poppy's dismay, the horrid weather had done nothing to thin the large crowd that waited for them just inside the village. Pop Trolls whispered and stared at the small group, the sheer size of Sid making it impossible for them to try and sneak on by. The two males were doing their best to ignore them, even when they were hit by the one or two rocks that were inevitably thrown by some coward in the crowd.

When Poppy had informed her people of Sid's arrival during her morning announcements, her innate joyful optimism had warred with bitter experience, leaving the Pop Queen unsure of how her people would react. Everything seemed to have gone well at the time, with the villagers asking fairly reasonable questions and everyone showing a mostly positive if somewhat cautious reaction to the news. The pink female had ended things on a positive note after asking everyone to be on their best behavior. While it seemed that the large majority of her people had taken her words to heart, the large soaking wet mob proved that not all of them had.

The mob followed them as they yelled and jeered, saying the usual terrible things about Rock Trolls in general and her friends in particular that had the Poppy's ire fully roused. As she tried to come up with a stern rebuke she could give to the trolls she recognized in the morning, the tone of the mob changed. Suddenly the mean and vicious comments were directed at her, the sharp and cruel words cutting as deeply as a knife to the sweet and kind Pop Queen.

“Queen Poppy invited another one of those monsters into the village”, came a voice from the crowd, barely heard over the now pounding rain.

“Yeah, and she's gonna have that huge fucker live with her too. I never realized just how cock hungry our queen actually was”, came another that was much closer.

“I wish she'd stick to her own kind thought”, came yet another. “Isn't fucking a Rock Troll a bit too much like fucking a dog?”

“Do you think she'd let me have a go if I slapped her around a little?”, came the first voice that now sounded like it was right on top of her. “Branch told me that's all he had to do to get her to spread her legs and that her sweet pussy was worth the effort if I wanted to try.”

Blushing hotly and wishing she could just disappear, Poppy forced herself not to react as she walked through the village's main party grounds and on towards the residential district, outwardly maintaining her happy expression as if she couldn't hear the evil words that were now coming from all around her. The pink female felt sick and numb down to her very soul that any of her people could even think such horrible things about her and her friends, much less say them out in the open and it terrified her that one of them might just follow through and do one of the many horrific suggestions like the one that the anonymous troll had spoken so casually about. The change was so drastic that the only thing she could think of that could cause it was that Branch must have gone around the village spreading poisonous lies and inciting hatred and violence after she'd left to wait for Sid's arrival. 

Hearing her friends start to growl threateningly at the crowd as they continued their verbal assault, the Pop Queen quickly grabbed both male's clothing in her hands and bodily pulled them along side her in an effort to keep them focused on her and their goal. No matter what her people said or did, they had to keep moving until the got to safety. While the last mob had stopped attacking her and Riff after Poppy had gotten hurt, after hearing what this crowd had been saying, she didn't think it would stop them this time.

Without a word between them, both Rock Trolls moved in closer to Poppy, using their larger bodies to help shield her from the increasingly angry multicolored crowd as the steady rain because a downpour and lighting and thunder boomed and crashed overhead. After seeing Riff and Sid's willingness to protect the pink female, the cruel comments and dark threats kept became increasingly aimed toward them. They joked and razzed the two males about just how Branch had tamed their 'Bitch Queen' and described in horribly graphic detail some of the tortures he'd put the pregnant female though in a transparent effort to get them to attack the crowd.

To her relief, although both Rock Trolls were shaking with rage, they refused to be baited as the hostile mob continued their verbal assault. Then suddenly the pink female felt a sharp burst of pain in the back of her head and then everything went dark.

OOOO

Riff looked down in alarm when he heard Poppy's cry of pain and watched stunned as she lurched forward and slipped on the dangerously wet mossy path. Before he could react, Sid beat him to it, quickly dropping the luggage in the mud and catching the pink female before she could hit the ground. Quickly lifting her up in his arms, the tall purple male softly called out her name and attempted to wake her up while the Pop Trolls around them laughed and cheered. 

Furious beyond belief, the normally sweet tempered drummer aggressively snarled at the crowd, using every bit of body language he could to warn them to stay back. Hearing his friend cursing up a storm, Riff whipped his head back around just in time to see Sid examining a large wound that was bleeding profusely on the back the Pop Queen's head. 

“Is she-?”, he asked the other Rocker fearfully but was cut off by a loud obnoxious voice from the crowd.

“HA! See? I told you I got her! How many points is that?”

That's all Riff needed to hear in order to convince him that it was more than past time to start breaking a few heads. Poppy been nothing but kind and welcoming to him since he'd known her. She even took him into her own home when she found him heartbroken, starving and alone in the forest when it would have been much easier to just turn a blind eye to his suffering. Since then, the small pink female had become more than just a friend, she'd become family and no one messed with a Rock Troll's family if they wanted to keep all their fleshy bits attached to their body.

Screeching like a wild thing, he started to throw himself at the hungry crowd, only to have Sid lunge forward and haul him backwards by the back of his leather jacket.

“RIFF! DON'T!”, the guitarist snarled as he held Poppy close to his chest with one muscular arm and pressed his zebra striped bandanna against her wound in order to stop the bleeding with the other.

Ripping his jacket free, Riff glared at the other Rock Troll as he felt the prickle of tears in his blue eyes. “NO! I won't let them keep hurting Poppy! Not again, not while I'm standing right fucking here!”, he screamed, his voice breaking from the sheer intensity of his emotions. “I'm tired of all the threats and all those horrible things they say about us, about Barb, and now her! I just want them to stop, I just want it all to stop!”

“It's not gonna make it stop!”, Sid roared as he bared his fangs and took a threatening step at the increasingly violent mob, making them move a few steps backwards. “Don't you see bro? We lost the war, we're the losers. No one here cares if we live or die and the longer we fuck around here, the more likely we're gonna end up on the wrong side of the 'or die' part, INCLUDING Poppy. We need to get somewhere safe!.

Riff stared at the other Rocker as the rain continued to pour around them, torn between listening to reason and his own instincts that screamed at the gray male to stand and fight in order to protect those he loved. Suddenly Poppy stirred and opened her eyes, her bright pink gaze completely unfocused that told him that while she was awake, the pink female was far from being alright. If he caused the shit to hit the fan, she would be easier prey than a Rocker infant forgotten topside during a full moon.

Heaving a deep shuddering sigh, the drummer gave his whole body a shake before he gazed back up at the other male. “What do you want me to do?”

“You need to get her somewhere safe, man:, Sid told him firmly as he thrust the Pop Queen into his arms. “I'll hold 'em off as long as I can.”

Giving the tall male a look that that said that Riff thought he was insane, the gray male violently shook his head and grabbed the other Rocker's arm as he started to turn away, “Sid, no! I can't just leave you here!”, he shouted desperately over a peal of thunder as he tried to make the guitarist listen. “If we leave right now, we can make it together!”

“Nah, dude”, the other Rock Troll shouted back as he gripped Riff's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Now that these bastards have tasted blood, they're gonna want more. If we all try to leave, none of us are gonna make it. You're faster than me and you know the way, I don't. You need to take Poppy and go.

“But if you stay here, they'll fucking kill you man!”, Riff whispered sorrowfully to his friend as tears poured unnoticed down his gray face.

The muscular Rock Troll bared his fangs in a ferocious smile as he pulled Riff and the barely conscious Poppy to his broad chest in a fierce hug. “They can try”, he laughed crazily as he released them a few seconds later before glaring sternly at the drummer. “Now go! GO!”

Riff hesitated, his face filled with sorrow and agony as he looked at the troll he loved like a brother for possibly the last time, before turning with a sob and running in the direction of Cooper's mushroom house that was still some distance away. He dashed through the rain uncaring of who or what he ran into or shoved out of his way as the sounds of the angry crowd exploded in volume. Even when he was some distance away, he easily heard when Sid roar in rage and then give a shrill scream of pain just seconds later. 

Gritting his teeth and desperately trying to keep his mind from imagining what was going on, Riff continued on until Poppy began to stir.

“Wh-what's going on-?”, she asked confused, her voice slurring alarmingly as another roar of pain and rage echoed loudly in the eerily quiet village.

Wiggling her head free from where Riff had it pressed protectively against his chest, the pink female looked around frantically, obviously looking for the other Rock Troll. Not seeing him, she frantically tugged at his open leather jacket, desperately trying to get the gray male's attention.

“Riff? Where's Sid?”, she asked worriedly as they heard the guitarist scream once again in the distance. “I think they're hurting him Riff! We have to go back!”

The drummer looked down at her unable to speak, his mask of grief and pain, and just shook his head as he continued to run onward. 

Poppy fought wildly in his arms in her desperation to to back and help Sid, causing the gray male to almost drop her twice in the deepening rivers of water that were flowing down the village streets. Only by pressing the pink female to his chest as hard as he could without hurting her, was Riff able to keep his grip on her and kept her from breaking free.

After what felt like forever, the Rock Troll finally reached the dubious safety of the Funk Prince's mushroom house that he still kept on the outskirts of Pop Village. Pawing frantically at the wet ring shaped door handle, the thin wiry male finally managed to get the door open and practically threw himself inside. Slamming the door shut with his butt, he carefully laid Poppy on the blue and white striped couch before turning back around and started to barricade the door using any furniture he could find.

Although the Pop Queen didn't move or say a word, Riff could feel her furious burning gaze on him while he worked. When he was finally satisfied that his makeshift barricade would hold for at least a little while, the gray male staggered over to the couch and sat wearily next to his friend, shivering hard from reaction as well as bone deep exhaustion. Staring sightlessly ahead, he allowed his last memories of Sid to replay in his mind and brutally used the raw pain and anguish they invoked like a razor blade to slice and carve into his very soul as well deserved punishment for leaving the other troll behind.

It took quite some time for Riff to register that Poppy was pounding hard on his chest with her small fists and a few minutes more to find the energy to try and focus on the furious pink female. She was still completely soaked with her usually festive bushy topknot of pink hair hanging limply down her back and had lost her crown at some point. And while the drummer felt a distant sense of concern when he noted the amount of blood staining her clothes that clung to her body like a second skin, he couldn't find enough energy to do anything about it.

Poppy continued to hit the Rock Troll furiously until she noticed that she'd finally gotten his attention.

“What the hell Riff! Sid's your friend!”, the pink female yelled at him desperately as he looked blearily into her vibrant pink eyes. “We need to go back and help him! I have to tell me people to stop!”

Knowing full well what would likely happen if they met the angry mob out on the streets, the gray male shook his head slowly as he laid it in his hands. “We can't”, he whispered brokenly.

“But we have to! They'll kill him if we don't!”, the Pop Queen pleased as she tried to wiggle behind Riff and push him off the couch with all of her might. 

“I SAID WE CAN'T!”, he screamed at her just inches away from her face before jerking his body off of the couch just as another flash of lightning lit the sky outside and the answering peal of thunder boomed overhead.

Riff instantly regretted losing his temper as Poppy flattened herself against the back of the couch and hid her face with her small hands and let out breathtaking little whimper of fear. Not knowing if trying to comfort the terrified pink female would only make things worse, the drummer backed away and started pacing as he felt his fear and shame begin to overwhelm him. Tearing at his black fluffy hair with his hands, the Rock Troll breathed faster and faster as his imagination brought up image after bloody image of what they'd find come morning until he felt like he was going to pass out.

“Don't you think I know that”, he babbled out loud, his words almost incomprehensible in his grief. “How could I not know that?! I just left the guy I love like a brother behind to be fucking ripped apart at the hands of a goddamned mob! How could I...?”

Suddenly too dizzy to stand, Riff collapsed bonelessly to the floor and covered his face with his hands and cried like he hadn't since he'd heard the news of his father's death. “Goddamn it Sid! Why didn't you let me stay behind instead?”

Huddling in on himself, the gray male cried and shivered in the cold until he felt Poppy gently nuzzle his face with her nose in the universal troll gesture of love and comfort. Sobbing, Riff lifted his head and nuzzled her gentle loving face back before wrapping his arms around her and placing the Pop Queen in his lap. The pink female snuggled into his embrace with a contented sigh before she started singing a hauntingly beautiful song under her breath.

Then together, the still sopping wet trolls cuddled with each other and tried to stay away as they desperately listened for any sound that could be from Sid over the pouring rain. Although they tried valiantly to stay awake, the two friends fell asleep as the rain continued throughout the night and on into the next morning.

OOOO

Poppy woke slowly, enjoying the feeling of laying in her beloved's arms when it suddenly occurred to her that she didn't currently have a beloved to wake up with. Instantly alert, the pink female opened her eyes, but quickly shut them again when the mid-morning sun seemed to stab her in the face. Hissing, she put her arm up in front of her eyes before trying again. Better prepared this time, the Pop Queen looked up at Riff who still held her tenderly in his arms and smiled before the previous day's events came rushing back. Grabbing one of his long gray arms, she quickly shook the Rock Troll awake who then looked at her in panic.

“Oh fuck! We fell asleep!”, he cried out in dismay as he helped the pink female to her feet.

“I know!”, she moaned back.

Still feeling a bit dizzy, Poppy staggered over to the couch and collapsed on it as Riff cleared away the furniture blocking access to the door. Grimacing from the pain in her head and stomach, she managed to reach into her hair-space and pull out the little bejeweled bag that held her medications. After putting the two pain pills in her mouth along with her missed does of antibiotics, the pink female used her stomach elixir to wash everything down before curling up on the couch wile she waited for them to work.

She could hear Riff moving around while she rested with her eyes closed and felt a little bad for not being any kind of help, but wasn't able to do much until her medications started working a little over fifteen minutes later. With her pain being managed for the time being, the pink female looked up and stared at the gray Rock Troll in confusion when he suddenly appeared and held out a bundle of cloth for her to take. 

“Feeling better?”, he asked kindly as she took the clothing from his hands. “I figured it'd be better if we got changed and stuff before we looked for Sid since we might be out for a while.”

After seeing that her friend had already changed, Poppy looked down at her own wrinkled and bloody clothing and had to agree. Although time could be of the essence, it wouldn't do them any good if she wandered around the village looking like she'd been in a fight. All that would do was cause a panic and the pink female just didn't have the time to calm down her entire race. The Pop Queen went upstairs and quickly showered and dressed while Riff made them something simple in kitchen so they could eat it on the go.

Poppy had just finished treating the gash in the back of her head when there was a hard knock on the front door below. Hurrying down the stairs far faster than it was safe for her to, the pink female just managed to beat Riff, hoping against all odds that it would be Sid standing on the other side. Throwing open the door, she looked out in confusion until a deep cough caused her to look down. Smidge, her Right-Hand Troll and Enforcer was smiling up at her gleefully from the front step,

The small yellow female had been keeping a low profile shine they'd had their falling out after the other Pop Troll tattled on her to Branch when she first brought Riff into the village. Instead of always being close at hand, the yellow female only showed up to give the Pop Queen her daily reports and to go over her scheduled with her while Riff hid in the bathroom. Smidge's disdain for Rock Trolls hadn't abated in the slightest, causing Poppy to feel both worry and excitement at seeing her Enforcer so happy.

“Hello Queen Poppy”, the small female said politely in her impossibly deep voice. “I hope today finds you well. I hate to be the troll to tell you this, but one of your pets wandered off last night and got into a fight. He had to spend the night at the veterinarian, but he should be just fine in a week or two.”

The two friends cried out in relief and joy as Smidge reached over to the side of the doorway and roughly pushed an injured Sid through before effortlessly tossing his trunks in after him a few seconds later, the heavy luggage barely missing the two Rock Trolls as they embraced. 

The large Rocker looked more than a little worse for wear, with a black eye, his arm in a sling, and dark purple bruises and bandaged wounds covering his exposed skin. Poppy even saw to he dismay that he was even missing several teeth when he saw her looking at him and gave the pink female a wide smile and flashed her Rocker horns in greeting. Although the guitarist's numerous injuries made the Pop Queen feel a strong desire to hunt down the trolls responsible and let Riff have a turn at them, she knew what she should focus on right now was that the tall Rock Troll had come home alive.

Giggling hysterically in relief, Riff carefully put his arm around Sid and half carried him to the couch, leaving Poppy to deal with Smidge and any fallout from yesterday's attack. Sighing inwardly, the pink female turned and forced herself to give her former friend a bright smile while darkly wondering if the yellow female had anything to do with the disastrous events that had injured her and almost cost her new friend his life.

“Thanks Smidge!”, she managed to grate out in an acceptably cheerful tone. “We got separated during that horrible thunderstorm yesterday afternoon and I've been at my wits end trying to find him!”

The small Enforcer nodded sagely, seemingly accepting the half truth at face value before giving her a sanctimonious look that set Poppy's nerves on edge. “I told you that Rock Trolls are dangerous pests, but you just didn't believe me. We're lucky that all he managed to do was eat out of a few trash cans before some concerned citizens managed to catch him and teach him some manners.”

Looking closely at the strong little troll, Poppy wasn't able to tell whether Smidge was outright lying about the mob's vicious attack on Sid or if she were merely telling the truth as she knew it, but she really hoped it was the latter rather than the former. While the yellow female didn't care about her Rock friends, the Rock Queen still hoped that the other troll still cared about her. Unperturbed her queen's close scrutiny, Smidge continued with a smug smile.

“As Queen, you should know that you have to keep your pets under control at all times, even if last night was an accident. You just can't let them around around the village alone like that. It makes trolls nervous.”

The tiny Enforcer paused for a second, almost looking hesitant, before the smug look was back. “I don't know what happened between you and Branch, but he told me that he'd be more than happy to train your Rock males for you. From what he's shown me, he did an outstanding job breaking their Bitch Queen and if he can do that to her, he can do that with any of their kind.”

Feeling chills down to her bones at the thought of anyone seeing Barb and thinking what Branch had done to her was okay in any way shape or form, Poppy dropped the charade of being happy and glared at the small female with cold angry eyes. Smidge's self-satisfied expression was gone in an instant, replaced with a look of deep hurt and surprise.

“We're done here”, the Pop Queen told her with icy aloofness to her voice. “You have my royal thanks for returning Sid to me, but I won't be needing Branch's or any other troll's help when it comes to my friends. Please keep protecting them like you would me. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to be going.”

The yellow Pop Troll was still looking at her with hurt surprise when the normally cheerful pink female shut the door in the other troll's face.

Hurrying back over to her friends, Poppy was relieved to see that although Sid looked pretty bad, he was still cheerfully gulping down the mostly meat stew that Riff had prepared for dinner the day before. She gasped as she got a better look at the bloody gaping holes in the Rock Troll's mouth, causing the large male to stop eating and look at her in concern.

“Doesn't it hurt?”, the pink female asked concerned as she gestured at his mouth. “The teeth I mean.”

“Nah”, the purple male smiled back as he began shoveling his meal into his mouth, the lack of proper table manners seeming to be a thing all Rock Trolls had in common. “They'll grow back in a couple of days. Hell, I've lost more teeth when I was headbanging at a Metallica concert and hit one of the stage supports with my face. Why?”

“Well, Pop Troll teeth take a lot longer than that to grow back in and it hurts a whole bunch until they do”, Poppy answered cheerfully now that she had been assured that he was feeling okay.

Happily sitting down on the couch next to the tall handsome male, she impatiently asked the one question she was desperate to know the answer to. “Sid, what happened after we left you behind? How did you survive!”

The Rock Troll held up one finger in a gesture to wait as he tipped his bowl and finished the last of the gravy just as Riff appeared from the kitchen with three more bowels of cold stew. After he had handed them out and given his friends their cutlery, Poppy was thrilled to see that her portion contained more vegetables than meat, the thoughtful gesture making her hug the gray male as he sat down on the low coffee table and used it as another seat. Only after they had all settled and began their meal did Sid begin his story.

“I knew Poppy wouldn't want me to start anything, so I just stood there and let those assholes know that while I wasn't looking for a fight, I wasn't gonna let them hurt my friends either and let them make the first move”, the purple male recounted calmly in his thick Rocker accent that the Pop Queen was really starting to enjoy hearing. “Fuckers were pretty pissed when I didn't fall for their crap and rushed me all at once. Let me tell you, those dudes may have had numbers on their side, but man, they couldn't fight for shit. If you guys think I look bad, you should see some of them!”

The guitarist paused as he put his now empty bowl down next to the first and put his legs out in front of him while stretching his arms out across the back of the couch, trying to get comfortable. As Poppy watched his battered face closely as he wearily closed his eyes, she wondered why when Branch had done similar on her couch before, she'd felt terrified, like he was trying to possessively cage her in. However it was she felt completely different with the muscular Rock Troll, in fact she felt the exact opposite. Blushing at where her thoughts were going, the pink female startled when she realized that Sid had continued his story while she hadn't been paying attention.

“-they finally got me down on the ground, I thought I was done for. Believe me, that's the last place you wanna be in any fight. Anyway, they kept stompin' and kickin' me and hitting me, you know, anything they could to kill me I guess”, Sid continued nonchalantly, as if trolls trying to kill him was a boring everyday event.

“Then suddenly trolls were flying through the air while this deep voice screamed for them to break it up. The crowd started freakin' out, saying they were dead when Smidge found out what they'd done to their queen. That's all I needed to hear. Told the assholes that they'd never manage to off me before I'd told their Enforcer what had happened, but I was willing to keep quiet if they got the fuck off of me and made up some story that would protect me from that monster. By the way Riff, I owe you a steak. What you told me in your letters really saved my ass.

Anyway, when the Enforcer chick got to us, they were quick to tell her how I'd wandered off and had been makin' a mess and taking a dump in flowerbeds and racist bullshit like that. Didn't think she'd believe them at first, but she just started laughing and said she'd take it from there. It was raining pretty bad by then and I was pretty jacked up, so Smidge took me to see a goddamn vet, if you can believe it. Dude wasn't very happy about the way that bitch was treatin' me but still ended up patching me up and letting me crash on his couch for the night. She came back earlier today and brought me over here.”

Looking at the injured Rocker as he kept trying to doze off, the Pop Queen felt a deep sense of guilt. Sid had barely even gotten a chance to know her and yet he'd risked his life fighting off her own people in order to keep her safe. The pink female didn't know how to begin to thank the guitarist or even what sort of gift basket it would take to show the purple male just how grateful she was for what he'd done. But no matter what, she knew she had to try.

Playing with the hem of her blue skirt, Poppy looked up at the tall male shyly and took a deep breath to steady her nerves before she began. “Um, Sid? I know there's no way I could ever repay you for what you did for me, but I wanted to start by saying 'Thank you'. You came all this way to help Barb and then almost died risking your life for me. I'll never forget that.”

Sid opened his eyes and smiled down at her while he waved his hand in the air. “Don't even worry about it, man!”, he told the pink female cheerfully. “I was more than happy to. Besides, you already saved two members of my family, so I figure that I'm gonna need to save your life another time before I'm even owed a thanks.”

Poppy stared at the guitarist starry eyed for a few seconds before practically throwing herself across his broad muscular chest and giving him the biggest hug she could. He grunted in pain when she jostled his injuries before giving her a gentle hug in return. Content to just let the hug last as long as it could, the Pop Queen just stayed where she was and felt a thrill of excitement when he laughed.

“Wow, man! You weren't kidding when you told me she does this a lot!”, the Sid chuckled at Riff as they continued their hug.

“You have no idea man. But it's kinda nice, you know? Barb's even let Poppy hug her a bunch of times and you know how she gets. Beats a friendly punch to the throat any day.”, the gray male answered back amused.

They hugged for several more minutes until the Pop Queen realized that the exhausted Rock Troll had fallen asleep with her in his arms. Shifting her body slightly so that she could see his face, Poppy watched him sleep for another few minutes before deciding that it was probably kinder to stay where she was rather than risk waking him up. Sid needed his sleep after what he'd done for her and she really wasn't hurting anyone by staying with him. After all, who didn't like a cuddle buddy while they slept?

With her actions completely thought out and rationalized if any troll were to ask, Poppy happily snuggled up against the warm male and soothed herself by listening to his heartbeat until Riff began to giggle. Blushing hotly at being caught red handed, the pink female turned her head and glared at her friend that she'd completely forgotten was still in the room.

The drummer was watching them with a hug grin on his face as he tried to mute his laughter with his hands. “You like him”, he giggled in delight. “Just wait 'til I tell Barb!”

“No!”, Poppy objected quickly, despite knowing that her actions had already given her away. “I barely even know Sid! I mean, I know he's super nice, and strong, not to mention super brave! He's obviously incredibly handsome and definitely sexy, and where was I going with this again? Oh yeah! It's impossible for me to have fallen for him yet!”

“I felt that way when I first saw Barb”, Riff told her proudly as he finally got control of his laughter. “I was only seven, but I know I wanted her to be my girlfriend and stuff. I never found the guts to tell her back then though. Barb's always been a little prickly and I knew if she wasn't up for it, she'd shove my drumsticks up someplace where I'd have a really gnarly time trying to get them back out. But yeah, it can happen.”

He paused as he gave the other male a gentle look and shrugged. “Sid's a great guy and knows how to treat a girl right. He's had a lot of crap and heartache and stuff to deal with in the past and he deserves to have someone nice in his life for once. I mean, he'd not perfect or anything, but you could do a whole lot worse.”

Riff stiffened and slapped his hands over his mouth while he gave the Pop Queen a look of utter horror as he realized what he'd just said. The pink female met his gaze with eyes full of misery and pain.

“Yeah”, she agreed somberly. “It would be pretty difficult to find a worse guy than Branch.”

Rolling back over, Poppy buried her face back into Sid's chest, causing the guitarist to mutter in his sleep and tighten his grip on the much smaller female.

“Oh man! I'm so sorry Poppy! I'm such a fucking idiot!”, the gray male exclaimed as he fell off the table he'd been sitting on in his haste to the Pop Queen's side. 

Crawling the rest of the way over, he sat cross-legged on the floor next to the couch and gently rubbed her back to comfort her as he tried to explain. “I'm not trying to be an asshole, I swear! I just really suck at words. What I meant was that I think if you two dated, you'd really hit it off, you know? As for Branch, fuck that guy!”

The pink female looked back over her shoulder at her distraught friend as she sniffed back tears and gave him a smile. “I know Riff. It's just that he's hurt so many people and here I am too stupid and weak to do anything about it.”

The wiry Rock Troll frowned at her before leaning forward and nuzzling her bright pink hair. “Please don't say that”, he consoled her gently. “I'm usually pretty good at recognizing a douchebag when I see one and that asshole had me completely fooled! A sweet troll like you would have never seen a predator like that coming.”

Suddenly Riff yawned loudly and then gave her a sheepish look at her giggle as he quickly covered his mouth. “Now I don't know about you, but I'm gonna take a cue from Sid and catch some Zs while he's asleep. I know it's still morning but I feel like I've played two concerts back to back!”

The Pop Queen yawned in agreement as he eyes began to close on their own. Held safely in the guitarists arms, the pink female felt the safest she'd been since Branch had torn her happy and relatively carefree life apart. She'd gotten so used to living in constant pain and fear for so long that she'd almost forgotten what it felt like. Then for the first time in a long time, Poppy slept soundly, her dreams free from the horrific visions of grief and agony as well as the teal male who inflicted them.

OOOO

Poppy slowly woke to the happy sounds of laughter and friendly voices. Yawning loudly, she pulled the fluffy blanket that covered her body over her head as she tried to go back to sleep. Idly wondering why her nice warm bed was moving by itself, the pink female was jolted awake by the awkward realization that Sid had woken before he and found her asleep on his chest. Instead of laying her down beside him on the couch, the Rock Troll had simply readjusted her to a more comfortable position and was gently cradling her in his arms as she slept.

Hearing the conversation stop abruptly, the embarrassed Pop Queen stayed under the warm blanket until it was peeled back from her face. She sheepishly looked into the tall Rock Troll's amused violet eyes and gave him a nervous smile.

“Um, hello?”, she greeted him weakly as Riff began to laugh good naturedly at her discomfort. 

“Good morning!”, Sid answered back cheerfully as he helped her to sit up on his lap. “Well, I guess it's technically good evening, but who the hell cares?”

“Th-thank you for um, letting me sleep on your chest. It felt really nice - I mean IT WAS very nice of you to just let me sleep like that.”, Poppy stuttered as both males looked at each other and grinned in amusement.

Watching the two friends suspiciously for a few seconds, Poppy's face suddenly flushed a dark pink as she turned and glared hotly at Riff.

“What did you tell him?!”, she snapped, completely embarrassed as she slid off of Sid's lap and stalked over to where Riff was once again sitting cross-legged on Cooper's coffee table.

“Uh, nothing much?”, the gray male stammered as he nervously watched the furious female's approach.

Scowling at her friend, the pink female leaned over and punched him as hard as she could in the shoulder, making sure even in her anger to miss any still healing wounds. Riff yelped and looked at her in shock as he rubbed his arm.

“THAT'S for talking about me behind my back”, the Pop Queen spat before punching him again. “And THAT'S lying to me about it!”

“Ow! I thought Pop Trolls just hugged and stuff”, the drummer whined as he rubbed his arm again and gave her a hurt look.

“I'm embracing my inner Rock Troll”, Poppy snarled back as she turned around and stormed up the stairs so she could both hide and take a much needed potty break.

As she climbed, her irritation quickly turn to amusement as she listened to the larger Rocker laugh at his friend.

“Dude, you just got hit by a Pop chick!”

“Go fuck yourself Sid.”

OOOOO

Poppy stood outside her newly enlarged pod and practically beamed with joy. With the addition of four new bedrooms along with a much needed extra bathroom, her pink and green home was now one of the largest personal structures in the village. All of the extra space was necessary of course with four adults and a baby on the way. The pink female still had no idea how the Fuzzlings had managed to finish it in only two weeks, but somehow they had with only a half a day to spare.

Before Barb had left to heal aboard the Arenbee, the Hard Rock couple had decided they would share Riff's room whenever Branch wasn't there to object. The Rock Queen had a separate bedroom for when the teal male wanted sex in the hopes that by offering such a convenient and safe space, he'd be more likely to stay where her friends could keep an ear out for her well being. The third room was of course for Sid to live in for as long as he wanted to stay, while the last was for the nursery which they'd need in just a few short months.

The Pop Queen couldn't help but giggle at the through of Sid Fret. After she'd spent nearly an hour hiding in the bathroom trying to get over her embarrassment at Riff exposing her secret crush TO her secret crush, she'd slowly creeped back down stairs in order to face the music like the mature women she was. Or that had been the plan anyway. She remembered how she had ended up a blushing babbling mess as she tried to explain her feelings to the tall purple male.

+(flashback)+

“Riff was telling the truth when he told you that I loved you”, she managed to get out before she realized just exactly what she'd said.

Turning an even brighter shade of pink, Poppy looked up at a confused Sid with wide horrified eyes before frantically looking away and trying to hastily correct herself.

“No wait! That came out wrong. What I meant to say was that I like you, not that I love you. Although I might! I mean, I don't actually know yet since we don't know each other all that well right now”, she babbled while playing with her bright pink hair and wished desperately that she could just stop talking. “But I'd like to get to know you! I mean, if you wanted to, which I'm not sure that you would. But it would be super awesome if you did!”

Taking another quick glance at the much taller male through her pink wispy bangs, the Pop Queen saw to her dismay that Sid looked more surprised than interested, clearly not expecting her jumbled heartfelt confession. Quickly looking back down, Poppy started to tug sharply on her long locks as she tried to find a graceful way to end the nightmarish conversion so she could go back upstairs to wallow in mortification while she hid in Cooper's bathtub.

“You know what? Just forget I even said anything. I know it's a little creepy. I mean, who just asks a guy they just met if they want to date? It's just that you're so nice, and so incredibly handsome, and you really love your friends just as much as I do. It's stupid for me to-”

Poppy was finally able to stop her increasingly frantic speech when she felt a large gentle hand on her shoulder. Startled, the pink female looked back up and into Sid's warm violet gaze. He gave her a compassionate smile before he nodded over to the couch.

“It's okay, man”, he told her kindly. “Come on. Let's sit down and talk this thing out.”

Walking over to the blue and white striped couch, Sid sat first and then opened his arms in an invitation for the pink female to sit on his lap. Not knowing if this would be the last time she'd be able to do so, Poppy happily accepted. The large male effortlessly lifted her up and placed her on his knees so that they'd still be able to see each other's faces as they talked.

“Sweetheart, it's cool. I don't mind you asking me out”, he told her softly, his normal exuberance gone for the time being. “You gotta life life to the fullest 'cause you never know what'll happen tomorrow. Now I think you're cute and I love how happy and cuddly you are all the time, but you need to remember before we start anything that I'm a Rock Troll. I don't want you going into this thinking that I'm gonna behave like your people do. We're loud, rude, hot tempered, and don't put up with anyone's bullshit.”

“Don't forget to tell her we cuss a lot too!”, called out Riff from the kitchen as he started the preparations for that night's dinner.

“Yeah, thanks man”, the purple male yelled back, clearly annoyed that the other Rock Troll had been listening in. “Now finish washing those goddamned dishes and mind your own fucking business!”

“See?”, the drummer laughed back as Sid growled at him in warning.

“Now like I was saying”, he continued in his heavy Rocker drawl as he put his arm around the pink female. “My people also tend to be protective, love with all of our hearts, and loyal to a fault. As long as you're okay with that, then I wouldn't mind seeing where this thing between us goes.”

The Pop Queen sat quietly as she thought over the things the muscular Rocker had said. Sid had made a very good point. Although Rock Trolls were very similar to their Pop cousins, in that they loved music, partying, and were all about friends and family, they also had some major cultural differences. The first that came to mind was that they often showed their affection in a much more physical manner, often playfully wrestling and roughhousing with each other in order to build stronger bonds between friends and family. Their customs were very different as well, with fist bumps and strange gestures replacing most of the hugging and kind words that Pop Trolls used in the same situations.

Even still, Poppy had found herself loving all the differences and similarities between their two cultures since Riff had started living with her. Admittedly it had taken a bit of adjustment at first, but now she found that just being around the loud and boisterous Rock Trolls helped to brighten up her day. Although it would undoubtedly take more feasibility and understanding to date one rather than just living with them as a friend, seeing Sid watch her with a small vulnerable smile on his face while he waited patiently for her decision made the pink female realize that she really wanted to try.

Grabbing one of the tall Rocker's massive hands in hers, the Pop Queen pressed it against her chest. “I understand”, she told him as she quivered with joy. “But just remember, the same goes for you too. I'm a Pop Troll. I give hugs for practically any reason I can think of and I laugh and sing any chance I get. I'm going to want to scrapbook, throw parties that have a ton of glitter, and talk about my feelings. It's who I am and I don't want to change any of that.”

Sid laughed at her excitement and pulled her into a crushing hug and buried his face in her hair. After taking a few moments to breathe deeply in order to take in her scent, he pulled away and looked the pink female with a look of pure delight. 

“I can definitely live with that!”, he'd chuckled while Riff cheered and hollered loudly from the other room.

+(end flashback)+

They'd talked over dinner and had agreed to take things as slow as Poppy needed to while she finished healing from her disastrous relationship with Branch. While the pink female wasn't certain just how much Riff had told her new boyfriend about what the other male had done to her and Barb, from the deadly look in the guitarist's eyes, she had suspected that the gray male hadn't held anything he know or suspected back. Over the past week, they'd only held hands, cuddled, and told each other embarrassing and funny stories about themselves and their friends, but for right now, it was more than enough. The only thing about her new relationship that weighted heavily on her mind was what they'd do when word got out that she was dating a Rock Troll.

The day Sid had been returned home, the three friends had taken the time to draw up a schedule so that whenever the Pop Queen went out, one of her Rock friends would escort her around the village. The other stayed with the Fuzzling construction crews in order to make sure Branch didn't try to sabotage their new home while it was being built. While Poppy was still worried about the Rock Trolls' safety when they were out in public, after finding out that some of her own people were angry enough to hurt or even kill her, she was eternally grateful for their protection and support. 

Thankfully, most of the Pop Trolls she sang to, partied with, or helped out were still friendly and kind to their queen, although a disturbing number of them were obviously avoiding her, including her friends in the Snack Pack with the exception of Cooper who was away on royal Funk business. While their snub was deeply painful, Poppy knew that the troll who really deserved her anger was Branch.

Thanks to talkative trolls like the ones in the mob that had attacked her, Poppy knew that the teal male was behind the new feelings of resentment and anger that seemed to cover the entire village in a dark evil haze. While some of the rumors she'd had overheard were too crazy to be believed, the ones that were more credible revealed that Branch had been going around the village telling horrible lies and viciously attacking the Pop Queen's character and that of her Rock Troll friends. After taking some time to connect the dots, it became increasingly clear that what her former lover was trying to do was to take away the one thing Poppy loved above all else. Her people.

The pink female had to give Branch credit. He was cruel enough to attack her right were it would hurt her the most and do it in such a way that it would keep his hands perfectly clean. She knew that if she confronted him, the teal male would innocently proclaim to the trolls around him that he'd just been passing on rumors and gossip, something that Pop Trolls normally did all the time. It wouldn't be HIS fault if some unstable soul decided to do something with it that ended in getting the Pop Queen or one of her friends injured or killed.

Shaking her head sadly and giving a little sigh, Poppy pushed the upsetting thoughts away, determined to be happy. After all, today was the day Barb was coming home, finally to be reunited with the friends who loved her. Scanning the skies for the thousandth time, the pink female was delighted to see the small disc shaped Funk transport on the horizon. Squealing happily, she flung open the front door, startling the two males inside.

“She's coming, she's coming!”, the pink female practically sang as she did a little happy dance in the doorway.

Sid laughed at her antics as he climbed down from the felted chair he was using to installed the fancy new glowlights in the ceiling. Quickly stooping down, he barely had time to catch Poppy as the smaller female flung herself into his arms in a joyful hug.

The group of friends had been busy all day with unpacking, moving the new furnishings into the appropriate rooms, assembling the large chest freezer, and otherwise getting things ready for Barb's arrival. Poppy had taken it upon herself to hang, fold, and otherwise sort the piles of clothing and linens while the two males finished the last bits of home improvements that would make life so much easier for them all. 

She had been a little surprised when Sid had pulled a small set of tools from his hair and went to work finding the support studs in the walls before swiftly installing the beautifully quilted cabinets she'd ordered to help with storage. Riff had laughed at the pink female's expression of pure wonderment as he snagged a wrench from the box and slid under her kitchen sink. As he worked to fix a persistent leak in the pipes, he'd explained how when they were out on tour, if they didn't know how to repair the small things that always seemed to go wrong, those issues would quickly become a huge problem that would force the band to miss shows while they found a professional to fix what went wrong.

After thinking it over, Poppy had to admit that learning basic repair skills like that would be very helpful, even if you weren't nomadic and had craft-trolls on hand to help you when you needed it. It also made the time she found Sid reading a thick technical manual on windmill repair make a little more sense, although the pink female hadn't even the slightest idea how such knowledge could possibly come in handy. When she'd asked, the guitarist had simply shrugged and smiled.

When her boyfriend had put her back down, the Pop Queen grabbed the large Rock Troll's shirt and impatiently started to drag him to the door. “Come on!”, she all but whined before almost getting trampled by Riff as he excitedly rushed past them.

Glowering darkly at the ecstatic drummer, Sid snatched the pink female up and set her down safely outside on her porch just as the airship touched down on the tree branch outside. 

Poppy happily let the two Rock Trolls run on ahead as she skipped down the large green vine she'd had diverted in front of her pod that let her friends come and go without the use of hair as a climbing aid. She giggled as the two males reminded her of hyperactive Trollings excited to see their best friend who was finally coming home from Glitter and Rainbows Day Camp. Or whatever the Rock equivalent was.  
When she had reached the branch, the pink female hung back in order to give her friends some privacy as the transport's doors opened with a loud 'whoosh' and Barb stepped into the sun. 

The Rock Queen still looked dangerously thin, but had managed to put back on quite a few pounds thanks to her constant diet of mushed meat that she hated so much. The purple female's pregnant belly stuck out much further than it had before she left, her growing fetus thriving now that its mother was finally able to get the nutrition she needed. Poppy was also thrilled to see that not only had many of the other female's bruises and visible injuries mostly healed, but that her brilliant red hair had that had been so dry and brittle had gotten back its healthy sheen. 

Barb hissed and tried to block out the harsh sunlight with her arm as she squinted in their vague direction. Poppy winced, knowing by now just how sensitive Rock Troll's eyes were to the sun, but stayed where she was knowing how big a blow it would be to the other female's pride if she were to try and help. Finally making out Riff and Sid as they cheered and called her name, the Rock Queen threw her luggage to the side and ran to them with a sob.

Riff caught the pregnant female in his arms and twirled around with her as he laughed with joy and relief until Sid picked them both up and gave them a group hug before setting the couple back down on the mossy branch. Barb looked at the two males with love and joy until she stiffened visibly and began to look wildly about. Squinting her bright pink eyes again, she looked at Poppy quizzically for a few seconds before joyfully waving her over.

“Get your ass over here Pink!”, Barb cried out happily. “I've missed you too!”

Thrilled to see the other queen in such good spirits and unable to contain her happiness for even a second longer, Poppy ran the last few yards and slowed just enough so her hug wouldn't knock the pregnant female to the ground.

“I've missed you so much Barb!”, the Pop Queen confided as she hugged the other queen tightly and frantically nuzzled her bright red hair and ragged ear in order to better convey the depths of her feelings.

Barb laughed and didn't hesitate to hug her back just as hard as she copied Poppy's loving gestures, nuzzling her back just as much if not more. “Gods, Pink! It's so good to be back home”, the purple female murmured as she paused to drink in the other female's calming bubblegum scent before continuing her display of affection.

Sudden laughter from the two other Rock Trolls snapped the females out of their happy place and caused the Rock Queen to give them a look that caused the males' laughter to stop abruptly.

“Awww!”, Barb smiled aggressively, baring her small fangs as she stalked angrily back over to her other two friends. “Looks like some trolls need a loving punch to the face to get them to mind their own fucking business!”

Riff quickly hid behind Sid at his girlfriend's wrathful approach. “We couldn't help it man!”, he told her worriedly, desperate to calm the fiery female. “You guys were just so cute and adorable and stuff! I mean, it's not like you to be so touchy-feely!”

The Rock Queen stopped in front of Sid and rolled her eyes at his calming gestures as she crossed her arms and glared at the drummer for a few seconds before relaxing and looking away. “I can be however I wanna be, asshole”, she muttered, clearly embarrassed. “After all that's happened, I figured it'd be kinda nice to, you know, better show my friends how I feel and junk.”

The pregnant female glanced over at the two now grinning male Rock Trolls before looking away again, her face and neck a bright purple. “It's not weak or anything, if that's what you're thinking. Pink here managed to fucking storm into that pile of puke's bunker and pull me out, and she practically hugs and loves on every troll, critter, and random dumb shit that she can find.”

Poppy laughed at Barb's words, taking the compliment in the spirit it was intended and marveled at the change. She'd accidentally overheard the Rock Queen's father talking to her in the hospital before he'd lost the gift that their music had given him and succumbed to his dementia. King Thrash had told his daughter that he'd hoped that now that the String War was over, she'd finally allow herself to become the person she'd always wanted to be. The pink female known what he'd meant then, but after seeing the more open and slightly gentler side of Barb, it made her wonder.

“Showing kindness and affection isn't weak!”, the pink female gushed happily, glad to be able to back the other queen up. “It takes a lot of courage to hug people you don't know and even more to show kindness to someone who's hurt you. In fact, if every troll hugged every other troll, then our entire species could come back together as one and we could all live as one big happy family!”

Barb gave Poppy a look that practically screamed, 'Fucking, really?', as she tilted her head to the side and crossed her arms once again. “And now you've made it weird.”, she said blandly as she nodded her head.

Suddenly the pregnant female staggered, her energy completely spent after the trip back to Pop Village and her ecstatic greeting with her friends. Riff cursed and rushed over just in time to catch her as she fell. As he picked Barb up in his arms, she gave him an annoyed look, but instead of arguing she just sighed and closed her eyes, her slack face showing the extent of her exhaustion.

“Hey dudes? We really need to take this inside”, Sid told the group of friends in a low voice as he gave a minute nod to the small crowd that was steadily getting larger.

“You guys go on, I'll handle this”, Poppy whispered back as she watched her people mill about with unease.

Trying to avoid another potentially deadly incident, the Pop Queen had decided to talk to her people about Barb's arrival and her Rock Troll friends in general during that morning's announcements. Needing her speech to be perfect, she'd had Sid and and Riff help her examine every word and phrase in order to help protect them and hopefully pus some of the more vile rumors to rest. While she hadn't been happy with a few of their suggestions, namely the ones that insinuated that she'd managed to tame the Rock Trolls, the pink female had given up in the end and went with what the two males had suggested.

Bright and early that morning, Poppy had made her royal announcements with Sid kneeling seemingly subservient behind her. Fighting down the urge to vomit and burst into tears at the sight of her boyfriend's voluntary humiliation, she managed to make it though the daily humdrum report before telling the multicolored crowd about Barb's arrival. With a slight grimace, she reassured her people that she had taught her Rock Troll guests the rules of the village and that they'd promised to be on their best behavior along with the threat that their punishment would be swift if they disobeyed.

While the pink female had felt horrible about the way she spoke about her beloved friends, Sid seemed to be having the time of his life. Although his usual blank expression gave nothing away, the guitarist's violet eyes sparkled with amusement at completely fooling an entire race due to their own prejudices as he acted like the now fully domesticated pet the Pop Trolls perceived him to be.

After Poppy gave the politely phrased order for her people to keep their distance when Barb arrived, she'd had to field some of the most awful questions she'd ever heard in her life. Many of them had asked things like if she were going to start breeding Rock Trolls and if they could adopt one, along with ones that asked if she had to keep them chained up at night and if they understood how Pop toilets worked. However, occasionally a troll would ask something that gave the Pop Queen renewed hope that her people's attitudes were beginning to change. Afterwards everyone had seemed happy enough to respect the pink female's wishes but the growing crowd proved once again that some trolls had only done so to respect social niceties and not because they had meant it.

Sid hesitated for a moment, obviously torn between wanted to press the issue and keeping up the fragile facade they'd created, before grabbing Riff by the shoulder and steering him back toward the pod.

“Be careful!”, he whispered as he gently brushed his hand against hers in a way that made it look accidental as the three Rock Trolls passed by Poppy on their way back to the pod.

“I will”, she whispered back as she walked toward the steadily growing crowd.

Mentally putting on her queen persona, Poppy smiled brightly at the multicolored Pop Trolls as she stretched out her arms in a friendly hugging gesture that normally caused her kind to relax and come together in a group hug. This group looked at her with unimpressed suspicious eyes and pointedly didn't offer a single hug or even any kindness at at all in return. Their strange hostile reaction caused the pink female to falter, her happiness quickly giving way to a rising sense of fear and dread.

“I'm sorry guys, I know you wanted to see more of my friends, but I'm afraid the show is over for now.”, the pink female began in an upbeat of a voice that she could make while her stomach clenched in agony. “Like I told everyone this morning, Barb's had a rough time with her pregnancy and needs time to rest and adjust to life here in the village. But don't worry! After my friends have lived here for a while, I'm sure they'll be up to formally meeting everyone. Unfortunately until that time, I'm going to have to ask that you all give them some space.”

The crowd, which had blossomed into about thirty trolls, started to mutter angrily amongst themselves, clearly not happy with what their queen had told them. Poppy had to bite back a whimper of pain as the agony in her stomach increased tenfold as she caught bits and pieces of the dangerous things they were saying. Her mind raced as she tried to thing of something calming or charming to say that would relieve the tension, but all she could think about was that terrible night when she lay bleeding and crying in Riff's arms while both trolls worried if they'd see Sid alive again.  
.  
Suddenly a hand grabbed her wrist in a crushing grip, causing the tiny bones inside to audibly grind against each other. Crying out in pain, Poppy tried to unsuccessfully jerk her arm away as she looked up into Branch's amused blue eyes in terror. The teal male bared his teeth at her in a caricature of a smile as he basked in her torment and distress before he turned to face the crowds with a far more genuine look of kindness on his face.

“Hey guys, I'm really sorry but Poppy's right”, he called out in his strong soothing voice to the agitated group of trolls. “My mate needs her rest now that she's back from being treated for the Tarkanian Flu. We wouldn't want anything to happen to my baby after all! I promise that I'll find a way to make it up to all of you later.”

Disturbingly, the gathered trolls calmed down almost instantly once they'd been not so subtly reminded who claimed ownership over the Rock Queen along with the baby that grew inside of her body. Poppy felt physically ill as they laughed and congratulated Branch on his sexual prowess and his cunning in taking the beautiful purple female as his mate. It was obvious that they all saw Barb as an object to give the teal male sexual pleasure as well as a baby factory to birth as many of his offspring as he wanted instead of a person with feelings and hopes and dreams of her own. The realization caused the pink female to wonder once again just what had happened to her people and when things had gone so horribly wrong.

As Branch happily waved to his fans as they left, the pink female tried desperately to wrench his fingers off of her wrist before the teal male shook her hard and backhanded her across the face. “Would you fucking stop that!”, he hissed menacingly as he raised his hand for another blow.

Hearing a gasp, the two Pop Trolls looked over and saw the transport pilot watching them in horror. The male Funk Troll looked at Poppy in concern before giving Branch a look of pure hatred. The teal male rolled his eye , annoyed at the interruption, and dragged Poppy further down the main pathway and onto one of the many smaller tree branches that criss-crossed underneath her pod The pilot started to follow, but stopped when the Pop Queen shook her head.

Although Poppy was terrified to go anywhere with Branch, she didn't think he'd quite gotten to the point where he'd try and take her kicking and screaming back to his bunker in broad daylight and while he'd been violent, she also didn't think he'd kill her in front of her home either. However, she wasn't quite so sure abut the green and orange fuzzy Funk Troll who kept craning his long neck so he could keep them in his sight. The last thing she wanted was for the kind stranger to die at Branch's hands because of her.

Satisfied that he was out of earshot, the male Pop Troll finally let go of her wrist as he crowded her to the edge of the narrow branch and scowled at her. 

“What the fuck are you thinking Poppy!”, he whispered angrily, trying not to attract undue attention from any other trolls traveling the wider pathways above and below them. “First you take that worthless gray piece of shit into your home and then you send off for another one? What's wrong with you?”

“You don't get a say in who I live with Branch, or anything else I do with my life!” she snapped back, refusing to be cowed by the furious male.

“The hell I don't!”, Branch yelled loudly before catching himself and lowering his voice. “I'm not going to let you degrade yourself by fucking those vermin. You're mine Poppy and it's past time you remembered that.”

Poppy looked at him in complete surprise before she met him glare for glare. “I'm not yours Branch, not anymore”, she hissed venomously, bearing her own smaller teeth threateningly as he tried to move closer to her. “You lost that right when you raped my best friend and left her passed out and bleeding on the forest floor.”

The survivalist inhaled sharply and gave her a look of pure hurt before it evaporated away like fog in the noonday sun. “I thought I was your best friend”, he growled angrily as he raised his fist as if to punch her.

The pink female looked at his raised hand in fear and scurried off to the side until she was out of reach and closer to the comfort of her home and the friends who loved and waited for her inside.

“Do you honestly think I could still be friends with you after what you did to Barb? After what you did to me?”, she shot back with all the fury she could muster. “If you honestly thought that either of us could ever love you or be your friend after that, you're more fucked up in the head than I thought. Don't you get it Branch? You've already destroyed any chance you could have ever had with us and if you finally want to do the right thing, you'll go away and leave us alone.”

Strangely, the teal male looked at her in shocked confusion, almost like he'd never really considered the impact his actions would have had on his victims. 

'Maybe he hadn't', Poppy thought to herself as she watched the his face fill with sorrow.

But as quickly as the realization came to the teal male, it obviously left as Branch gave her a creepy smile and stared at her crotch for a few pointed moments before he looked her in the eyes. “We'll see about that”, he crooned seductively with a sly smirk.

Ignoring the burning agony in her gut, the Pop Queen just looked at the other troll with disgusted disapproval until his smile fell away.

“Whatever”, he scoffed at her as he folded his arms. “I don't understand why you're so upset anyway. When I raped the little Rock whore, I became a goddamned hero. Because of me, her people won't dare attack our village again, not when they know I'll kill the bitch if they do. They'll just have to be satisfied with knowing that their beloved 'Rock Goddess' is my fuck-toy and will be busy raising all the little half-breeds I'm gonna to put into her until my eldest can take the throne. I know you don't think I thought everything through, but like I said before, you never were really all that smart.”

The prospect of Branch being interested in the Hard Rock throne had never occurred to either her or Queen Essence. He'd never seemed that interested in leading a group hug, much less a foreign nation of trolls. They'd both assumed that the teal male's sadistic streak had been awakened when he'd attacked and raped Barb which then turned into a dark obsession to own the vibrant and exotic female. Then after he'd found out he'd fathered a child with her, he used ancient troll law to force the Kingdom of Hard Rock to give him their queen.

However, it suddenly seemed strange that Barb's government had never once tried to contact her about negotiating their beloved Rock Queen's release. Riff had been sending Sid letters covertly since he'd been in Pop Village and the tall Rocker would never have kept what was being done to his beloved friend a secret, so they had to know. Thinking back to what the teal male had told her while he stood there gloating, Poppy realized that Branch had probably written to the other kingdom in his official capacity as Ambassador of Pop and had actually threatened Barb's life if they came and tried to take her for the village.

But somehow it felt like Poppy was missing something. There had to be more to it than that, especially with the way that Branch had been acting since she'd offered to take care of Barb for him. That's when it hit her.

With Hard Rock's threat nullified, and with Poppy taking over the burdens of healing and caring for the pregnant Barb, it had freed Branch's time to do Gods knows what down in the bowels of his bunker and spread his lies among her people among her people and undermine her authority. With the Pop Trolls already viewing Branch as a hero and Poppy as a stupid girl who would rather fuck dangerous animals than protect her people from them, he practically already had her throne as well.

In fact, all Branch would need to do to secure their people's loyalty was to rape, impregnate, and claim her as a second mate in order for him to become king, especially if he told the Pop Trolls that he'd done it to save her from herself. The ancient laws binding pregnant females to their trolling's sires never actually stated how many mates a male could take in that fashion, a chilling omission that had escaped the pink female's notice until now. They only demanded that it be the male's choice whether he claimed the female or not. Not even current troll law could help the Pop Queen if that happened. While most family groups were comprised of only two mates and their children, there were no laws that said there had to be.

If she was right, while Queen Essence would be reassuring the other tribal leaders that Pop wasn't trying to do a hostile takeover of another kingdom, Branch would actively be working to do just that as he took over the Pop Nation and eventually the Kingdom of Hard Rock. Of course the question remained if Barb's people would accept a half Rock Troll as their ruler, but it seemed very likely with how Riff and Sid talked about Barb. The Rock Trolls absolutely adored their queen and would probably give Branch the throne directly if it meant getting something of their Rock Goddess back. 

As the enormity of Branch's devious plan fully dawned on her, the Pop Queen could only look wide-eyed at her former friend in abject terror as a horrible feeling of numbness settled over her body. Just the though of what kind of life awaited her and her friends if the teal male succeeded in his plans was enough to make her want to vomit and curl up into a shivering ball of fear.

Branch grinned wickedly at her when he saw that Poppy had figured everything out and then shot out a portion of his violet hair, wrapping the long strong strands around the pink female's neck and mouth, while pinning her arms to her sides in a painfully tight grip. Jerked her to his side, he used the rest of his voluminous hair to form a privacy bubble around them in an attempt to make it look like the two trolls were young lovers trying finding a way to be alone. The entire attack was waged and won in only a few seconds.

“You see when you decided to leave me, I realized that if I wanted to get everything I deserved, I'd have to think big”, the teal male whispered lovingly as he started to nuzzle the pink female's immobile face and head. “Now after just a little bit of planning and misdirection, I'm about to get both of my little fuck-toys, the family that was stolen from me, and a whole lot of power to finally enact the changes that I see fit to make.”

Branch paused and smiled as he looked into the Pop Queen's terrified eyes before pressing his lips to her pointed pink ear in a kiss. “So tell me Poppy, how did I do?”, he whispered softly before harshly jamming his tongue down her ear canal.

Ignoring her whimpers of fear and pain, he continued to lick and probe until he once again gave her a kiss and a loving nuzzle. “It doesn't have to be this way Poppy”, the teal male said softly, his voice laced with what may have been regret. “I just want you to come back to me. You can be my primary mate and live with me and Barb in my bunker. I promise I'll treat both of you right this time. Then all three of us can rule Pop and Rock together and do what you've always wanted. Make the world a better place. After all, you can't harmonize alone.”

The seductive words seemed to hang in the air, glistening with glitter and promising everything that Poppy could have once wished for. For one brief second, she could practically see the life he'd promised. She would live with Barb and their offspring underground, making sure the teal male treated the Rock Queen kindly and ensuring her best friend lived as long and happy a life as possible. Given time, she was sure that she could gently show Branch the error of his ways and even get him to stop his misguided plans for the hostile takeover of both of their countries. And if she excepted, then it would end the horrible nightmare of fear she lived in and make the agony that clawed constantly at her insides finally go away.

Almost as soon as the enticing image popped into her mind, Poppy rejected it completely. She could never betray Barb like that. Branch had almost tortured and starved her best friend to death and that was completely unforgivable. With darkness like that in the teal male's soul, what would he do to her beloved Sid once he found out they were a couple? To sweet Riff? In fact, what would he do to their whimsical fun-loving people that he looked down upon when he was in a supreme place of power? 

Poppy jerked her head around until she freed her mouth from Branch's hair and gave him a look of utter loathing. “I'd rather die.”

The survivalist's scream of utter fury echoed loudly in the enclosed space as he caused his hair to brutally squeeze the Pop Queen until she though she was going to pass out. He released the pressure a few seconds later and gave her a vicious shake that practically caused her teeth to rattle in her head.

“Why do you have to be so goddamn stubborn all the time?!”, he seethed as he practically quivered with suppressed fury.

After taking a few breathes to calm himself, Branch leaned forward and shoved his nose into the pink female's ear and breathed in deeply as he took in her scent and sighed contentedly. “I swear Poppy, if you weren't such an amazing fuck, I'd have done myself a favor and gotten rid of you the moment you decided to betray me. No matter. Just remember that I always get what I want in the end and if you keep playing hard to get, I'm afraid your life's about to get a lot more...painful.

“You can't think I'm going to keep this quiet! Once I tell the other leaders what you're trying to do, they'll stop you”, the Pop Queen growled as she tried to push away the growing sense of panic that scratched and tore at her mind. “They won't just let you take my kingdom away from me and install a troll who's only loyalty is to you on Hard Rock's throne!”

Instead of intimidating the much larger male like the pink female hoped, her words made the other Pop Troll laugh as if she'd told the ultimate party joke.

“You're going to tell the other tribal leaders?”, Branch grinned, clearly amused. “Whose to say that some of them don't already know? After what you told me in the bunker, I've been in communication with more than just Hard Rock's government. I mean, do you really think I'd have gotten this far without some kind of outside support? I have some surprisingly powerful people backing me, including some of our own. 

So I wouldn't say or do anything that you wouldn't want to come back to me. If I find out that you're trying to leave or doing anything naughty to mess up my plans, I'm going to kill those pets of yours nice and slow. After what I've learned from my time with Barb, I'm sure I can make the fun last for weeks if I really wanted to and I'd even be kind enough to let you watch. 

Then if their deaths don't teach you how to behave, I'll go after your father next and after that, I'm going after our friends, one at a time. Hell, I'm even willing to crush some of our eggs after you've given birth to them if that's what it takes for you to learn your place and obey me. It doesn't matter to me. What's the loss of three or four Trollings when you're going to be popping them out until you're too old to give me anymore offspring? But, I'll bet you'll care.”

Just as the Pop Queen had thought that her opinion of Branch couldn't get any lower, the other Pop Troll had dug deep and found a way to top all of the other horrible things he'd already done. With her securely held in the steely strands of the teal male's hair, all she could do was tremble in terror and revulsion as she tried and failed to come to terms with the levels of violence and sheer evil in his words. 

“You're a monster”, Poppy breathed, the simple words effectively conveying her horror and despair.

“Pawn takes Queen”, Branch whispered seductively before viciously biting into the top of her large pointed ear.

Still bound by Branch's dark violet hair, the Pop Queen could only scream in agony as he cut through the thin velvety skin and deep into the cartilage itself. Distantly she could hear the Funk pilot yell something angrily just as the teal male jerked his head away, sending a spray of glittery blood across the inner surface of the hair bubble as he tore off a large chunk of her left ear.

Retracting all of his hair, the male Pop Troll chuckled as Poppy collapsed to the ground crying and clutching the injured organ in her hand before spitting the chunk of flesh over the side of the tree limb and into the tall tangled grass below.

“There you go!”, he crowed happily as he wiped his mouth with a dark handkerchief he took from his hair before bending down and examining his handiwork. “I figured that you'd want to look more like your BFF since you chose that stupid bitch over me. No need to thank me by the way. I'm always happy to help my future mate. 

Just then, the green and orange Funk Troll, furious at seeing the sweet Pop Queen injured at the other Pop Troll's hands, rushed the teal male using his head as a battering ram. 

Branch's eyes widened in surprise as the quadruped caught him in the stomach and tossed him to the side, almost making him fall to the ground far below. Growling out a challenge, Branch pulled a slender object that glinted in the bright sunlight before hiding it behind his back as he waited for the next attack.

Recognizing one of the survivalist's wickedly sharp knives when she saw one, Poppy forced herself to her feet and tackled the pilot as he ran past, knocking both trolls to the ground. “Please don't!”, she pleaded to the confused Funk Troll. “I promise that it's all right! I couldn't live with myself if you got hurt because of me.”

“I'd listen to her if I were you”, Branch agreed as he tossed his knife up in the air and caught it by its intricately wrapped hilt. “You may not know it, but Poppy just saved your life.” 

Shifting his gaze over to the still bleeding Pop Queen, the teal male gave her a chilling smile as he hid the weapon back inside of his clothing. “Don't worry sweetheart”, he crooned as he started to walk away. “I'm not ready to take you with me just yet. But when I do, I hope you remember as I'm cutting into you and your little girlfriend that I gave you a chance to do this the easy way. Oh, and speaking of Barb, tell her that I'll be seeing her later tonight.


	10. S.O.S.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poppy carries a dangerous secret, one which can end the lives of those she loves if she tells and which will cost her her sanity if she doesn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Semi-consentual sex (nothing graphic this time), Branch being a dick, cursing
> 
> Due to multiple requests, I'm thinking about releasing a version of this story without any of the rape kink in the chapters that have them. The first chapter would be completely rewritten from Barb's point of view but her second attack would be largely unchanged (but probably modified so that it's a little less intense as would any other times she's with Branch. Would that sound like something you personally or someone you know be interested in?
> 
> NOTES:  
> Musical inspirations for my Rock Trolls include: Guns 'N Roses, Aerosmith, Whitesnake, and KISS (With a freaking ton of others. Seriously, I have an awesome playlist)
> 
> All musical lyrics in this chapter are real pieces of published music. I'd like to apologize to Van Halen and Beatles fans in advance. I think your lyrics are lovely. 
> 
> I hope you guys love my version of Sid Fret! I didn't like how he was portrayed in the movie, so I decided to put my own spin on the guy. His personality is based off of three other guys (two fictional characters and one dude I know) as well as blending in what we saw in the movie. 
> 
> By now you'll also notice my Poppy is pretty different than she was from the movies and the cartoon (and my earlier chapters). She's grown a lot in ways that Pop Trolls usually don't. Due to the danger she and her friends are in, she's had to ironically become more like Branch, sacrificing fun for safety. It's often this way in abusive relationships of all kinds.
> 
> Differences from the original source material include: Changes to pod construction: doors, kitchens, bathrooms, multiple rooms in general. (Personally I think the one room pod thing is stupid. Where's Poppy's shower? Where did the glitter water drain to? Come on guys, I know it's a whimsical land, but try and figure some of this stuff out!)
> 
> I named the one female Rock Troll who almost got her head cut off when Barb threw his chainsaw and chose one of the males on the tour bus to be her boyfriend. He's given a name (Rattama after the drum beat 'ratamacue') but is only mentioned in the story.
> 
> I gave the Pop Trolls a healthier diet than what is shown in cannon. They eat a lot of plants, then dairy products, then meat. They do eat a lot of sweets, but not for regular meals.
> 
> I also want to note there is a bit of wrestling and arm punching in this chapter. This is just playful banter and normal going ons in Rock culture. They love to rough house. There is a firm line however, but none of our 'good' main characters are going to cross it. Just an fyi for those who are confused as to why Poppy would sock Riff in the arm. Normal Rock Troll stuff.

Is anybody listening? Can they hear me when I call?  
I'm shooting signals in the air, 'cause I need somebody's help  
I can't make it on my own, so I'm giving up myself  
Is anybody listening? Listening...

I'm lost here, I can't make it on my own, I don't want to die alone  
I'm so scared, drowning now, reaching out  
Holding on to everything I know  
Crying out, dying now, need some help!

Is anybody listening? Can they hear me when I call?  
I'm shooting signals in the air, 'cause I need somebody's help  
I can't make it on my own, so I'm giving up myself  
Is anybody listening?

~S.O.S. (Good Charlotte)

After Branch had finally left, it had taken the Pop Queen quite some time to convince the Funk Pilot to not fly back to the Arenbee and report everything he'd seen and heard to Queen Essence herself. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate what the fuzzy male was trying to do. The temptation to run to the Funk Queen, who was the closest thing she had to a mother, and tell her everything herself was almost overwhelming. However the knowledge that Branch had spies everywhere held her back. 

Poppy knew in her heart that Branch hadn't been bluffing when he'd made his threats. The excitement and blood-lust in his eyes when he'd spoken of butchering her loved ones and crushing their unborn offspring as they finished growing in their eggs was burned permanently into her mind. The teal male was hoping, anticipating that she'd make a mistake and would be eagerly waiting in the shadows with his scalpels and knives when she did.

Gritting her teeth from the searing pain in both her stomach and her ear, she pressed the scarf the pilot had kindly given her up to her throbbing wound as she waved an impatient good-bye to the departing aircraft. Now that she was finally alone, the Pop Queen let herself cry silently in pain and despair as she dizzily staggered up the vine and back toward her home. 

The mere thought of keeping such a dark and horrendous secret to herself caused Poppy's stomach pain to flare so badly that it almost brought her to her knees. But try as she might, she just couldn't think of another troll who could help. 

Her second instinct was to inform her father, the former King of Pop, about Branch's insidious plans, but quickly dismissed the idea. Although Poppy had always had a close relationship with her father growing up, Peppy had been icily distant since Riff had come to live with her. Things had only gotten worse from there to the point where he wouldn't even talk to her anymore. The last time she'd tried, her father had icily ordered her to go home and spend time training her new pets.

There was no way Poppy could ask for help from Sid and her other friends. Branch knew her almost as well as she knew herself. He'd have already realized that they were the trolls she'd most likely confide in. They loved her and were willing to die to protect her, and she them. That meant that the teal male would be watching them all closely when he came over to claim Barb. Every glance, every frown, every flinch would be carefully noted and analyzed in his sick twisted mind. If he thought, or even dreamed that the pink female had breathed a word of his plans to the Rock Trolls, at least one of them would die in order to ensure she'd never do it again.

'There's no way I'm risking them like that', the Pop Queen thought fiercely to herself.

As the pink female went to open the door, she felt something warm ooze down her neck. Looking around fearfully, she carefully ran her fingers through the liquid and grimaced when she saw the amount of glittery rainbow blood that coated her fingers. Quickly realizing that the severity of the wound would give what happened away, the pink female hurried around to the back of her pod and shakily sat down on one of her fluffy pink and blue deck chairs.

Using her medical training, Poppy ran though a mental checklist of her symptoms, leading her to believe that a lot of her problems were most likely due to a severe case of shock. Honestly, she really wasn't all that surprised after what she'd gone through in the last two months, with Branch's vicious act of petty revenge just being the proverbial icing on the cake. What did surprise her was how she was still on her feet.

Being very careful not to jostle her ear, the Pop Queen took her medkit from her hair with shaking hands and took out the tiny mirror as well as dry swallowing far more than the recommended does of painkillers than was safe. The pink female waited several minutes for the medicine to kick in before slowly peeling off the makeshift bandage. A sudden wave of dizziness and nausea swept over her like a wave as a new trickle of blood slid down her neck. Hoping for the best, she slowly she raised the mirror to her face so she could inspect the damage.

Gaping at her reflection in horror, Poppy had to swallow rapidly to keep from vomiting when she saw the full scale of her disfigurement. Branch had managed to bite off almost half of her left ear, his teeth marks clearly visible despite the severe swelling. Thankfully, a thick scab was already trying to form over the gaping wound, although whether it would be enough to heal the massive injury was anyone's guess.

Now that she'd seen the ghastly wound for herself, the pink female could understand why the Funk pilot had been so upset. Even after all he'd done, Poppy was still shocked Branch had meant to hurt her like he had. It made the danger she was in all the more real. The wrongness of the situation was made infinitely worse when she realized that the teal male had removed enough of her ear to make it look almost like a mirror image of Barb's own catastrophic injury

“There's no way I can go inside looking like this!”, she whispered, almost hysterical. 'Come on Poppy! Think!”

Going to Doctor Moonbloom was out of the question of course. One look and she'd be sure to think that one of the Rock Trolls had attacked her, something that Branch was probably betting on. That also ruled out telling any of the other Pop Trolls as well. If her people thought she was in danger, they'd storm her pod en mass and tear them apart. 

With any other option, Poppy had no choice tend to her injury herself. What her ear needed most was stitches, but without another troll to assist, the best she could do was clean and bandage it and hope for the best. 

What worried the pink female more was how her friends would react when they realized that she'd hidden such a serious injury from them and what they'd do when they found out Branch had caused it. She knew for a fact that Sid would want to go after the survivalist, which was something the cunning teal male would no doubt be prepared for. The only thing she could think to do was to hide the severity of the wound, and downplay the attack when they saw just how badly she'd been injured. 

Working quickly, Poppy used all of her artistic skills to create a fake ear out of medical supplies. Deeming it 'good enough', she carefully attached it to the bandages covering her would and then wrapped the whole thing in additional layers of gauze. While the dressing was bulkier and more more noticeable than it had been before, it did the job of disguising her missing ear.

With that taken care of, the Pop Queen snagged one of her outfits off the clothesline and quickly changed into the virtually identical blue dress, fervently glad that there wasn't any trolls on the paths above. After hiding her soiled clothes where she could retrieve them later, she then used what antiseptic wipes that were left in the kit to wash away any traces of sparkly blood from her body and hair. With a last look in the tiny mirror, she put everything away and fished around in her hair for the bottle of stomach elixir. To her dismay, the bottle was completely empty.

Poppy sighed as she stood up, only to double over as a burst of excruciating pain flared in her stomach, pain that the earlier meds did nothing to ease. She gasped as the world swirled and dipped around her, only remaining on her feet through sheer willpower. After a few minutes, her vision returned to normal enough to allow her to stagger over to her front door and after a moment's hesitation, turn the knob and go inside.

Keeping her head turned so that her injured ear wasn't immediately visible, Poppy gave her friends a big smile. “Hi guys! Sorry I took so long! What did I miss?”, she asked in a cheerful manner that was only partially feigned.

The rather animated conversation between the three friends stopped abruptly as they looked up at her from the couch with joy and relief. Sid started to stand when he looked down at his girlfriend's wrist in surprise, which quickly turned to angry concern. Wide-eyed, the pink female examined her arm and saw to her horror that the place where Branch had squeezed was starting to bruise an ugly purple.

Giving the guitarist a weak smile, she quickly slid her hug bracelet further up her are to help cover the injury. The guitarist rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, Barb beat him to it.

“You're dating SID?!, she exclaimed loudly with a huge disbelieving smile. “I can't believe that two of my best friends hooked up! That's fucking fantastic!” 

The Rock Queen gave a delighted as and turned to the guitarist and gave him a light punch to the shoulder, followed up by a fist bump when he focused his attention on her. Feeling a stab of annoyance, the pink female glared hotly at Riff who shrank away and gave a nervous laugh along with a sheepish smile.

“Hey man, I didn't even think about it. I mean, it wasn't a secret or anything, right?”

Poppy merely raised an eyebrow at the lanky gray male, more amused than upset as she braced herself against the closed door and tried to make it look natural.

“Don't worry Pink, I got ya”, Barb called out happily as she punched her boyfriend hard in the shoulder.

“Ow!”, Riff shouted, giving the pregnant female a hurt look as he clutched his arm. “Gods! What's with you chicks and punching and stuff?”

Laughing hard enough to make the muscular Rocker double over, Sid had to gasp for breath before he could even talk. “Dude, I told you to wait”, he wheezed merrily. “Don't go blaming the girls when you're the one who keeps doin' dumb shit you need punching for.”

The drummer muttered something under his breath before sighing and giving Poppy an apologetic smile. “I'm really sorry Poppy. I just got so excited that it kinda just slipped out. I guess I really suck at this secret keeping thing.”

The Pop Queen quickly gave the worried male a sweet smile of her own. “It's okay Riff, I forgive you. Believe me, I know how hard it is to keep amazing secrets to yourself. It's not something we Pop Trolls are very good at either.”

To show that there were no hard feelings, the pink female teasingly poked her tongue out at her friend, effectively breaking the nervous tension in the room. As her friends laughed and teased each other, she took advantage of their preoccupation to carefully grab the opened bottle of her stomach elixir she had left in a cubbie by the door. In her haste to stop the horrible pain in her gut, the Pop Queen turned just a little too much to the side and flashed her bright white bandage for all the other trolls to see.

“What the hell happened Poppy?”, Barb gasped, forgetting to use a nickname in her worry. “I know for fucking sure you didn't have a goddamned bandage on your head when we were outside!”

Spinning around in alarm, Poppy went down as another wave of dizziness overtook her. But before she could hit the floor, the pink female was suddenly in Sid's arms. He looked at her with a worried questioning look as he raised his hand to touch his girlfriend's ear, but stopped when she cringed away.

“Oh, this? It's nothing really. I'll be fine”, she managed to squeak out as she gently cupped the injured organ with her hand. “Barb's the one who deserves all the attention today, not me!”

“Sugar, you nearly landed on your face”, the guitarist reminded her reproachfully. “Also, you can't lie for shit.”

Glancing up at the tall Rocker's worried face, Poppy knew he was right. Lying had never been her strong suit. Realizing she had a good excuse in her hands, she held up her medication and gave the small bottle a little shake. 

“My stomach's just bother me a little after from all the excitement today”, she told them, wincing with guilt at the partial truth. “Just give the medicine a little time to work and I'll be fine.”

Barb narrowed her bright pink eyes as she looked searchingly at the other female before shaking her head violently in disagreement. “Nuh-uh Pink. You're not gonna get out of this that easily. You're not lying, but you damn well know you're not tellin' the truth either. Something's killing you inside and if you ain't gonna tell us what it is so we can help, I'm gonna order Sid to pull down those sparkly panties of yours and fucking spank your ass until you stop acting like a little brat!”

The room was eerily silent except for Riff's quiet mutter of “Oh, shit”, as Poppy gaped at the pregnant female in horrified disbelief. The other queen met her gaze for gaze until the Pop Queen looked away and leaned her head against Sid's bare chest.

“I, uh, ran into Branch and things got a little...physical”, she began hesitantly, but had to stop when everyone began talking and yelling at once. Feeling completely overwhelmed, the pink female covered her one good ear the best she could with a miserable whimper.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!”, Sid bellowed at the top of his voice as he gently hugged Poppy to his chest as she started to tremble uncontrollably. “The poor thing's been through enough without you two assholes scarin' her too. Now keep quiet and give us some fucking space so I can find out what's wrong!” 

Barb and Riff instantly fell silent and looked at each other with wide nervous eyes before obediently sitting back down on the couch. Satisfied that his wishes were being respected, the purple male gently nuzzled Poppy's head and neck as he walked over to one of the yellow felted chairs and sat with her on his lap.

“What happened, baby?”, he asked her firmly, his tone leaving no doubt about whether or not he was going to let this incident slide.

The Pop Queen's sigh was close to a sob as she desperately tried to find a way to explain what had happened without outright lying or putting her friends in mortal danger. She stalled as long as she could by slowly drinking her elixir straight from the bottle, enjoying the wonderful cooling sensation as the liquid coated her stomach and protected it from its own acids. Finally she put the bottle away in her hair before looking down at her lap.

“Branch was the one who calmed down the Pop Troll, not me”, Poppy began slowly, ashamed in ways she didn't understand. “He grabbed my arm and demanded that I take Barb and go live with him in his bunker. As mates. When I told him no, he got angry and bit my ear as punishment.”

Barb made a strangled noise, her face a mask of pure fear as she pressed herself into the back of the couch as hard as she could. “I can't go back, I just can't”, she babbled breathlessly, tears pouring from her wide terror-filled pink eyes. “The-the things he did...I-I...I can't... Please – no...please!”

Riff looked at Sid in desperation as he pulled the pregnant female onto his lap and began rocking her her back in forth in an attempt to help sooth her. The Rock Queen clung to his red t-shirt like a scared lost child, her mind trying desperately to fight back the darkness and despair that Poppy had unknowingly released. The guitarist's expression darkened as he gazed at his traumatized friend while rocking his own deeply distraught girlfriend.

Barb's hysterical sobs were a horrible reminder to Poppy of just how high the stakes really were. If Branch's brutal abuse could break the strong-willed arrogant Rock Queen, then she didn't stand a chance. His sadistic ambitions would destroy the lives of everyone she loved and two different races of trolls. As it was, just the knowledge of that fact made the pink female whimper in anguish and fear as she shook uncontrollably.

'Got to figure something out', Poppy thought frantically to herself. 'I can't let him do this. I can't! But I just don't know what to do!'

“There's no fucking way I'm letting him take Pink or my baby down into that goddamned butcher shop”, Barb spit out angrily in spite of her terror. “He'd have to fucking kill me first. They'd never survive what he...what he did to me.”

“I'd kill the motherfucker before you'd get the chance”, Sid growled sternly, his Rocker accent more pronounced in his distress. “He's not taking my family or my girl away from me. Not while I'm still alive.”

“I'll be right there with you, man. That asshole's gotta lot to answer for”, Riff added darkly while he nuzzled Barb's bright red hair.

The four trolls continued to sit in companionable silence as they enjoyed the comfort they found in each other's presence. Her Rock Trolls friends' love and support were exactly what Poppy needed to push back the creeping despair in her mind, allowing the pink female to think clearly for the time since her confrontation with Branch. Finally able to relax, the pink female melted into her boyfriend's embrace.

Getting annoyed by the silence, Barb pushed away from Riff's chest and looked around the room at the somber faces before forcing herself to smile. “Hey guys, lighten up a little. We aren't fucked yet, and if that isn't a reason to celebrate, than I don't know what is! Besides, I'm finally home. Let's get with the happy!”

“That's right!”, Poppy beamed as she wiped away the tears from her face using the blue strap of her felted dress. “I've got some really fun stuff planned for tonight. Barb, you're just gonna love it!”

“No glitter, right?”, Riff asked nervously as he exchanged worried glances with Sid. “'Cause last time you used glitter, you uh, made Barb freak out and use her chainsaw.

“But everyone loves glit- wait, chainsaw?”, the Pop Queen asked surprised, looking at the pregnant female wide-eyed in concern.

The Rock Queen glared at the other trolls defensively, obviously offended by their anxiety. “Yeah well, not everybody loves havin' glitter explode in their eyeballs, Pink. And it wasn't that bad Riff”, she groused moodily as she folded her arms in a huff.

“Dude, you almost cut Rachael's fucking head off”, Sid chuckled fondly. “Chick spent the next hour curled up on Rattama's lap before he could get her to chill out.”

“I said I was sorry!”, Barb objected loudly. “I mean, how was I supposed to know that they were so dangerous?”

All three trolls looked at the purple female in incredulous surprise until she blushed and looke away defiantly.

“It's a chainsaw Barb!”, Riff finally exclaimed in disbelief, causing everyone including the Rock Queen to laugh.

“Well, don't worry”, Poppy chirped happily. “With everything that's happened lately, I promise I made sure everything would be low key. No streamers, no exploding glitter cards, no loud surprises or anything like that. Just delicious food, friends, and good conversation. Oooo! And a cake! I baked the most delicious chocolate cake in the shape of an electric guitar!”

Tension and anxiety seemed to flow out of Barb at the Pop Queen's words. Giving the pink female a lazy smile, she relaxed bonelessly in Riff's loving arms. “Fucking awesome”, she practically purred as the gray lanky male began to gently stroke her pregnant belly. “That's just what I needed right now.”

“So, how'd things go on the Fuck ship?”, the drummer asked his girlfriend warmly as he nuzzled and scent marked her long brilliant red hair. “You didn't say much in your letters and stuff.”

The Pop Queen had to laugh a little at that. While Barb had sent sporadic letters to each of them, most were only a few sentences long at best. While, 'Fuck bed rest' and 'These goddamn etiquette classes are pure racist bullshit', hinted at some amusing stories, they didn't do much in the way of letting her friends know what was happening.

“Eh”, Barb grunted with her eyes closed in pure bliss while she waved her hand dismissively. “Not much to tell. The docs had me laying down so I could 'recover' all the damn time, which was boring as hell. Had more guys feel me up than I've ever had during my after parties and believe me, that's sayin' something. Fuckers could have at least bought me a drink first. Or a steak I guess since I got the whole 'kid inside me' thing goin' on. Um, Essence made me listen to a bunch of crap on politics, leading, and shit like that. Some of it was cool I guess, but most of it was fucking lame. That's pretty much it.”

“I'm callin' bullshit”, Sid drawled as he shifted Poppy into a more comfortable position on his lap, causing the pink female to blush hotly. “You fucking expect us to believe that during all that time, nothin' exciting or awesome happened.”

“Believe what you want man”, the Rock Queen shrugged unconcerned, her words slurring together as she started to fall asleep. “If there were any sick orgies or balls-to-the-wall concerts while I was there, they didn't invite me. King Quincy did try to kick my ass while I was asleep once, so I guess that's kinda neat. I'll admit that it was really fun watching Essence rip him a new one when I woke up.”

“Wait, what? I'll fucking kill him!”, Riff shrieked loudly as he jerked upright.

The pregnant female rolled her pink eyes and gave the gray Rock Troll a reassuring smile. “It's okay man, really. Just a simple misunderstanding, that's all. Essence didn't tell him I was onboard and he got all pissy when he found me in their bed.

The drummer stilled instantly as he took off his black cap and looked at Barb with wide blue eyes. “Wh-what were you doing in Queen Essence's b-bed?”, he breathed reverently, his cheeks blushing a deep red.

“Nothing like that, you perv”, she teased back, nudged him in the chest with her elbow. “She spent the whole time acting like she was my mom or something. I gotta lot of fun kinks I enjoy, but trust me, that's so not one of them. Quince may have found a new one though with how he kept starin' at my baby bump the whole time. The way I see it, the asshole's either gonna knock up his wife sometime soon, or the teal fucker's gonna have a fight on his hands when it comes to keeping me.”

Riff growled low and dangerous as he clutched Barb tightly to his chest, causing the pregnant female to look at at him in alarmed surprise. Gently turning his face with her hand, the Rock Queen gave him a reassuring smile before pulling him towards her until they were passionately kissing on the couch.

Poppy and Sid watched the happy couple with identical smiles of their own until the lanky drummer started fumbling at Barb's tie-dyed pregnancy blouse.

“Oookaaay!”, the pink female said loudly, hoping to remind the aroused couple that they weren't the only ones in the room. “Who wants to see her new room?”

Pouting slightly at the interruption, Riff removed his hand from under Barb's shirt and helped her sit up. The Rock Queen was panting excitedly, but didn't seemed embarrassed in the least at having an audience as she took the interruption in stride.

Watching at the unrepentant Rock Trolls, Poppy had to wonder if sex was yet another thing that their tribe did in groups, or if it was just pent up lust between the two. Glancing up at Sid, she saw the purple male was watching the show with an excited yet indulgent grin on his face and made a mental note to ask him about it if and when their relationship got that far. Although most Pop Trolls didn't take 'best friends' to the point where they'd be comfortable mating in front of them, the Pop Queen was surprised and not just a little aroused to find that she was potentially open to just such a suggestion.

“Sweet”, Barb exclaimed joyfully as Riff carefully helped her get to her feet. Glancing back at the drummer who looked like a kicked puppy, she sighed dramatically and tugged on his hand until he got to his feet. “Come on man, cheer up! Look at it this way. Now we can have fun on our new bed witout any of Sid's 'helpful' suggestions or giving Pink a permanent blush.”

Suddenly much happier, the gray Rock Troll eagerly took her hand and bounced on the balls of his feet as he waited impatiently for the others. 

As Poppy slid off of Sid's lap, she gave a squeal as she got her first good look at the other female's pregnant belly. “Wow Barb! You're huge!, she giggled as she did a little dance of happiness to the enjoyment of her friends. “I need to know what they were feeding you up there, because your little sweetie seems to have really liked it!”

Barb gave her a wry smile as she looked down and flattened the long rainbow tie-dyed shirt around her abdomen in order to better highlight her expanding waistline. “Tell me about it. It's amazing how fast these things grow when their moms are given food they can fucking digest. Who knew, right?”

Seeing their friend's melancholic mood start to return, the male Rock Trolls quickly shouted their enthusiastic agreement and gave Barb multiple fist-bumps that had the pregnant female laughing. When they were done, they moved out of the way so that the pink female could give her a gentle hug.

“Well, you don't have to worry about that here”, the Pop Queen murmured reassuringly into Barb's bright red hair before moving away. “The guys helped me stock my new freezer with all kinds of yummy proteins and fun foods they said you'd enjoy!”  
.  
“Hell yeah!”, Riff blurted out excitedly as he walked hand in hand with his pregnant girlfriend. “Sid even got a dude to throw in some scorpion jerky! But that's nothing compared to how righteously awesome our room is! You're gonna love it!”

Barb shook her head and laughed at the lanky male's giddy exuberance as they stopped outside the door marked with a black and red wooden plaque marked with Riff's name and otherwise covered in engraved Rocker emblems and band logos. Her pink eyes sparkled mischievously as she gave Poppy a huge smile and went to grab the polished quartz doorknob.

“Gods Pink, I'm really psyched about this room thing. Please tell me that it's a fucking Rocker's dream and not done in...uh, your usual style. I mean, I appreciate everything you've done for me and all, I really do. It's just that I don't think I could sleep in a room done in florescent yellow and pink for more than a few days before I'd have ta...you know. Stab my own goddamn eyeballs out of my fucking head with an ice pick.”

Giggling in anticipation, Poppy simple raised an eyebrow and gestured to the door, not wanting to give anything away. She and the two male Rockers had worked tirelessly for over a week to obtain the materials needed to make the addition to her pod more culturally friendly and had spent the last night busting ass putting it all together. Getting things perfect was important, as they all wanted the Rock Queen to be as comfortable and happy as she could given the circumstances. Luckily, Barb's reaction to all their hard work disappoint as her eyes widened in amazement as she gasped out loud.

While most of the interior walls of Poppy's pod were pink and yellow, Riff and Barb's room had been haired in a dark red with black accents. It had taken her a full day's worth of work in felt scrapbooking  
figures to afford the exotic hair as well as combing Sid and Riff's black manes for all they were worth, but in the end it had all been worth it. The effect was stunning and lent the room the feeling of being located deep within Volcano Rock City.

Finding her Rock friends musical instruments had been Poppy's next priority, only to find that most were still in short supply due to to the village's destruction during the string war. Fortunately, she had been able to at least find Riff a well-used drum kit which was set up on a small stage that was just big enough to fit three other performers as long as they didn't mind a bit of a squeeze. Various hooks lined the walls, waiting for the electric guitars that would go there once they became available. The rest of the wall space on that side was taken up by shelves, nooks, and a bookcase for holding receivers, sheet music, and other necessities that were needed to create the Rock music that her friends loved so much.

A large black vanity table complete with mirror stood next to the door, which was covered in the Rock Queen's jewelry, makeup, and accessories sat to the side of the door, which was a necessity for any Rock Star. A wardrobe stood at the other end of the room, packed with various clothing for both trolls, with Barb's side containing both the clothing Sid had brought wth him and similar looking maternity outfits that the Pop Queen had made. What space was left was taken up by the type of large bed that Rock Trolls favored, decked out in red and black linens and topped with Barb's beloved stuffed lava fox, Prince Cuddlekins.

As Barb excitedly wandered around her new room in a happy daze, Poppy took a few seconds to slip her elixir from her hair and down most of its contents in a few quick gulps. Normally the medication lasted for a few hours, which was usually enough time for the pink female to get to someplace where she felt safe in order to calm down. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the case any longer. Despite knowing that her friends were willing to defend her, the knowledge that the fate of two nations depended on her caused the liquid's comforting effects to last fifteen minutes at best. 

Realizing Sid was watching her with deep concern as she drank, the Pop Queen quickly hid the mostly empty bottle into her hair and skipped over to Barb who was gleefully putting on her cuffs and earrings in order to avoid a confrontation. The guitarist narrowed his violet-red eyes in thought as he slowly walked over to the excited females. 

“So, how do you like your room?”, the pink female asked brightly, practically vibrating with happiness now that her stomach pain was back under control. “I wanted you to feel at home, so I tried to make sure you had a little of everything I remembered you having in your room! Well, minus the drumsticks stuck in the walls.”

“It's fucking sick!”, the pregnant female exclaimed with a huge grin as she applied her beloved eye makeup.”Man, I can't believe you did this all for me. Thanks man!”

Poppy laughed as she fist bumped the Rock Queen before they flashed matching Rocker horns at each other, completely thrilled that she'd finally caught on to Rock Troll social clues. The other female's smile widened as she gave an approving nod of her head.

“Look at you, little miss Pop-Rocks!”, Barb chuckled as she turned to finish blending her smokey-eye. “I guess you're one of us now that we've corrupted you. Or as I call it, improved your way of life. You're welcome by the way.”

“You keep telling yourself that”, the pink female joked back as Sid came up behind her and pulled her backwards into his arms. Thankful for her boyfriend's presence, the Pop Queen leaned into the muscular Rocker's loving touch. “I can't take all the credit though. I couldn't have done half as good of a job without the boys.”

Grinning wickedly, the purple female happily fist-bumped first Sid and then Riff before giving the lanky gray male a deep kiss of appreciation.

“Hey, can I get one of those too?”, Sid joked as the kiss went on, earning him an elbow to the gut from Poppy and being flipped the bird by Barb.

Breaking her kiss, the Rock Queen gave the guitarist a mock glare before she laughed and turned back to her mirror. “You wish! Pink's gonna get one long before you do!”

“Really?”, Riff Breathed in awe as his face flushed a bright red. “Can I watch?”

The drummer didn't even have time to flinch as both females punched him in opposite shoulders. “No!”, they shouted in unison as he gave them a hurt look and sullenly rubbed first one shoulder and then the other.

“Still can't resist sayin' stupid shit, can you dumbass?”, Sid snickered at his friend. “Dude, you don't TELL 'em you wanna watch. What you do is quietly hang out in the background and enjoy the show when it happens.”

“You want some too, big guy?”, Barb growled over her shoulder as she flashed her small fangs at him in annoyance. “'Cause there's plenty to fucking go around!”

Both males looked at each other wild-eyed and quickly lifted their hands up in surrender as they backed away. The Rock Queen narrowed her pink eyes at them, appraising their sincerity before going back to putting the finishing touches on her makeup. After she had put her brush down, the pregnant female looked closely at herself in the mirror and grimaced as she grabbed her long red hair and pulled it up into a semblance of a mohawk.

“Hey, Riff? You wanna help me out with this later?”, she asked her boyfriend. “'It's really starting to piss me off.”

The gray male smiled as he flopped down on the large bed and started to play with the well-loved plush fox, much happier now that Barb seemed to be in a better mood. “I'd be happy to! We made sure you had your razors and coal dust and stuff so you can fix your hair.”

Sighing contentedly, the Rock Queen let her red locks drop down again as she glanced tiredly at the bed, only to freeze when she saw just what the drummer was playing with. Blushing a deep purple, she stalked over to the new terrified male and snatched the plushie from his hands and gave him a growl of warning.

“Hey, hands off man! Why does everyone feel like they gotta fuck around with my stuffed animals?”, she snarled as she held the toy to her chest protectively. “He's old, he's mine, and I'm gonna kill Sid for bringing him!”

Sid met her furious and embarrassed gaze calmly and shrugged as he walked nonchalantly back over to Poppy and took her in his arms. “Come on Barb, cut the shit. You love that thing. Figured it'd help you until we can get you out of this clusterfuck.”

Barb's glare softened as looked down at the lava-fox thoughtfully and hugged it to her tenderly until the two males began to chuckle at the adorable scene. Cursing under her breath, the purple female jammed the toy under her pillow and turned to face her three grinning friends.

“Ha ha ha. Barb's got a soft side”, she snapped as she put her hands on her hips. “We get it. Now shut the fuck up!”

“But you're just so cute!”, Riff started to say before cutting off with a squeak as the Rock Queen stabbed a finger at his face.

“I'd stop right there if I were you asshole, unless you really don't want sex tonight”, she said icily. At her words, the drummer perked up excitedly and mimed zipping up his mouth. “That's what I thought!”

Turning back to Poppy, Barb opened her arms and sighed happily as the pink female dashed over and excitedly gave her a hug. “I can't thank you enough”, the pregnant female whispered into the other queen's hair. “This, this is exactly what I fucking need. It's like you were reading my mind or something. I can't wait to get some of my guitars and -”

The Rock Queen suddenly stood ramrod straight and made an awful gurgling noise as she ripped herself out of the other queen's arms. Hunching over, the purple female held her hand over her mouth as she desperately tried to keep from throwing up.

“Shouldn't you have stopped having morning sickness by now?”, Sid drawled as he watched her in concern.

Still valiantly trying to keep her breakfast down, Barb flipped the guitarist off again as Ruff rushed to her side.

“Actually, my mom had morning sickness with me and the sibs right up until she gave birth”, the drummer told the other trolls helpfully. “She'd, like, puke just whenever all the time. Drove her nuts.”

Making a strangled sound, Barb pushed past her friends and stumbled out of the room as she lost her battle against her nausea. Riff seemed to freeze in place as he watched his pregnant girlfriend leave, prompting Sid to walk over and slap the younger male across the back of the head.

“What the hell are you still doin' here, man?”, he asked the drummer incredulously. “Go fucking help your girl!”

Riff yelped in surprise and looked at the other Rock Troll with wide blue eyes before tumbling off the bed onto the floor on his ass. “Don't worry baby, I'm coming”, he called out as he scrambled to his feet and flew out the door.

Giggling at the gray male's antics, Poppy reached into her hair to retrieve her elixir with the hope that what was left would be enough to put out the last few embers of fire that still smoldered in her gut. Turning around as she drank, the pink female froze when she saw Sid watching her with the save grave expression he'd had earlier. Time seemed to come to a screeching halt as she looked into his concerned violet-red eyes.

'He knows', a voice in her mind whispered, accompanied by frenzied laughter and a sense of overwhelming dread.

“Sweetheart, it's just us now”, the purple male said quietly, his voice intentionally low and comforting. “You need to tell me what Branch did to you.”

He reached out to gently brush back some of the hair that had fallen into Poppy's face, only to freeze when she jerked away from him like she'd been burned. Looking up at the confused guitarist with terrified eyes, the pink female continued to back away as she started to shake uncontrollably once more. 

Biting her tongue hard enough to make it bleed, the Pop Queen was able to fight through her rising panic enough to give him the most innocent smile she could. “I-I don't know what y-you mean, silly”, she stuttered as she clutched her blue dress hard enough to make her knuckles turn white. “I already t-told you w-what happened.”

Heaving a heavy sigh, Sid leaned backwards against the wall and folded his arms across his chest. “Hey babe, we may've only been goin' out for a little while, but I'm pretty good at knoin' when a troll's in over his head. You've been chuggin' that junk like it's whiskey since you got home and you've got a look about you like you've sold your soul and the ticket's about to come due.”

Just seeing the love and concern on the muscular Rocker's face was almost enough to make Poppy want to throw herself into his arms and tell him everything; Branch's sinister plans for her, the fate he had in store for their two nations, and the horrible threats to her loved ones' lives. She wanted to tell him about the terrible nightmares where she relived her excruciating assault at Branch's hands finding Barb broken and bleeding, Or the ones where she found Barb broken and bleeding, her ripped and torn body telling the gut-wrenching story of the brutal torture she'd been forced to endure night after night. Most of all, the pink female wanted to tell him the dark dark secret that festered and poisoned her very soul. That Branch was going to win because she was too stupid and too weak to stop him.

But the thought of losing him, of having to watch the purple male suffer as he was slowly tortured to death kept the pink female silent.

Shaking her head wildly, Poppy forced herself to keep smiling as she began to hyperventilate. “H-he just s-scared me, th-that's all! Everything's fine, just fine!”

The guitarist frowned as he stood upright, only to freeze as the stressed female threw herself backwards as if he'd tried to physically assault her. Quickly squatting down on his haunches in an effort to appear less intimidating, the tall Rocker gave her a compassionate smile.

“Sweet-stuff, you're a fucking terrible liar. Cone on baby, you gotta tell me what's wrong. Whatever your secret is, it's fucking killin' you right in front of me. I wanna help you, but I can't unless you let me in.”

Choking down a sob of despair, the Pop Queen started to frantically pace back and forth across the soft dark red carpet as she gesticulated wildly. “Sid, I know you want to help, but I'm sorry, you just can't. I mean, I want to tell you. I want to tell you everything so badly that it hurts.”

The pink female walked faster and faster as her panic built and the darkness inside started to overtake her. “I don't want to do this alone. I don't even think I can!”, she panted as her heart started pounding painfully in her chest. “But if I tell you, he's going to do something bad, real bad, and I just can't let that happen!”

Sid's concerned expression darkened as he helplessly watched his normally calm and happy girlfriend fall apart right in front of his eyes. “What's he gonna do, love?”, he prodded gently.

Poppy suddenly froze in place and looked at her boyfriend, her dark pupils blown wide from anxiety and fear. “He's going to kill you all”, she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper. 

Jerking to his feet in surprise, the guitarist's mouth opened in a silent snarl just as they heard the sound of the bathroom door opening. Poppy sprang away from the doorway like a startled deer and quickly wiped away a few tears as she donned her happy-go-lucky persona like she was putting on a raincoat right before Barb and Riff re-entered the room.

The Rock Queen looked absolutely horrible, with deep bags under her eyes and looking like she could collapse at any second. The drummer gently held her arm as they walked over to their new large bed. As they passed, the gray male mouthed 'she threw up' before helping her up on the bed.

“Sorry to disappoint ya Pink, but I gotta cut the party short for now”, Barb moaned as she laid down and snuggled under the covers. “I feel like shit.”

Riff lovingly smoothed out his girlfriend's bright red hair on the pillow and caressed her cheek before climbing onto the bed himself and laid down next to her. The two lovers snuggled against each other as the lanky Rock Troll reached out and pulled the pregnant female close against his body. Sleepily opening her eyes, Barb gave her friends an annoyed look when she saw that they were watching the adorable couple with huge smiles.

“Shoo!”, she scolded them as she closed her eyes once more. “This isn't a concert or something. Go away and fuck each other or something. God knows Pink looks like she could use a good screwing right about now.”

Blushing hotly at the images that popped up in her mind, Poppy turned to flee but ran straight into Sid with a comical “Oof!”

Clutching the pink female protectively to his chest, the guitarist let out an amused laugh. “Dude, I think you're jumpin' the gun a bit there. Don't think Sweet-stuff's ready for that yet, but it's cool. She's worth the wait. You guys get some sleep. I'm probably gonna crash too. I'm still fucking tired from all the shit we've got goin' on.”

“Ye-yeah!”, the Pop Queen agreed hastily, while she clung her boyfriend's arm as if he were the only thing keeping her from drowning. “It's b-been a long day for all of us. You two have fun together. Sleeping! I meant sleeping. Wonderful time sleeping!”

The pregnant female giggled and slurred something about prudes being fun to fuck with before quickly falling asleep. Riff smiled affectionately at the sleeping Rock Queen before he nestled his chin on top of her head. 

“Hey guys”, he called out softly to his friends. “Could you shut the door please? She was pretty sick earlier and I don't want her to wake up before she's ready or anything?”

Sid looked at the happy couple with a lewd grin as he gave a disbelieving snort. “You just don't wanna have to do it when she wakes up horny as fuck an' ready to jump your sorry ass.”

“Can't it be both?”, the drummer laughed back as the two trolls left the room.

Once the latch had clicked shut, the muscular Rocker looked down at Poppy with a worried expression as he released her and took a step back. The pink female looked at him in astonishment as he silently inclined his head toward his room before walking off, leaving the choice up to her. She stood frozen for several tense moments, her desire to run warring with the knowledge that if she did, the darkness in her own mind would tear her apart. 

Finally, after praying to every God of Music she knew of for protection, Poppy made her choice.

Sid's large bedroom was haired in a medium silvery blue, making it feel open and airy. A similar stage to the one in Barb and Riff's room stood along one wall that was also covered in empty guitar racks, with a dark blue dresser sans mirror along with a wardrobe sat the other end. On the opposite side of the room stood a massive bookcase that Sid had built himself. Currently it housed his small collection of about two dozen or so books, most of which were fantasy novels, technical manuals, books on music theory, with the rest being an eclectic assortment of subjects. 

The rest of the room was taken up by a bed large enough to host a small cuddle pile that Rock Trolls loved to sleep in. Currently the bed only held Sid who watched Poppy with relief as she climbed onto the massive piece of furniture and settled herself down across from him. 

The pink female shivered as she went over the terrifying altercation she'd had with Branch in her head, remembering every glance, every threat, and the way he'd looked at when he left, like he'd already won. She was so lost in thought that she jerked hard enough to almost knock herself over when her boyfriend took her freezing hands in his and gave them a comforting squeeze.

Looking up at him fearfully, Poppy lifted his hand purple hand and gave it a loving kiss before looking into his worried violet-red eyes. “If Branch finds out that I've told you this, he'll kill both you and Riff. This wasn't a threat, it was a promise. He WANTS to kill you.”

Sid sighed wearily as he soothingly rubbed his large thumb over the backs of her hands. “It's gonna be okay Sweet-stuff, I'm here. I'm not gonna let that happen, I promise. That bastard may think he's a badass, but he's never taken on a male Rock Troll with a family to protect. It took twenty trolls to take me down last time, and it's gonna take a hell of a lot more this time.”

“He told me he'll kill Dad next, then my friends, and even the babies he's planning on having with me if I misbehave”, she whimpered back, trying to make sure the muscular Rocker understood what was at stake if the sadistic survivalist ever found out she'd breathed a word of his plan to anyone.

By the way the guitarist's gaze hardened reassured the Pop Queen that he understood all to well. “That fucking little bitch! To threaten a female with the death of... Come on Baby, you gotta tell me now. Let me help you stop him.”

Feeling a painful wrench in her guts, Poppy grunted and held her abdomen as she forced herself to speak, her words coming out in a rush. “He's planning on raping a baby into me in order to force me to become his mate, just like he did with Barb. Now that he's made so many of my people furious with me, there won't be much objection when he tells them he did it for my own good. Then he's planning on making me and Barb his playthings while he takes over as monarch and ruling Pop Nation as its king. When her Trolling is old enough, he's going to train them to be loyal only to him before sending them back to the Kingdom of Hard Rock as the rightful monarch when they come of age.”

The large Rock Troll looked at the pink female with his mouth wide open in disbelief as his mind tried to process all that she'd said. She understood exactly how he felt. Suddenly feeling like she had to move, Poppy scrambled off the bed and began to pace jerkily back and forth across the room.

“Worst of all, everything that's happened, that's going to happen is all my fault! Me dumping Branch was what inspired him to come up with this insane plan in the first place! He wants to keep both me and Barb and he doesn't care who he has to hurt to do it!”, she panted wildly while her mind assaulted her with visions of the suffering and pain that waited for her and everyone she'd ever loved.

“Hell, he practically admitted to torturing Barb long after she'd submitted because he knew it would upset me enough to want to rescue her. Like I wouldn't have wanted to do that anyway! That's when he realized that if he took me too, he'd have control over both of our nations and he'd be able to do whatever he wanted.”

“Let's just fucking leave then!”, Sid snarled furiously. “We'll get the others, steal some flybugs and get the hell outta here. We'll fly home to Volcano Rock City and stay with Barb until the other leaders help us get rid of the motherfucker.”

“I can't!, Don't you see that I can't”, the Pop Queen moaned as her breath hitched painfully in her chest. “If he can't get to us, he'll take it out on my people, and I can't let that happen. I'm their queen. They trust me to take care of them.”

Suddenly Poppy stopped her frantic pacing so abruptly that she almost made herself fall as she looked over at her boyfriend with an unsettling expression on her face. “That's it! How could I be so stupid! You can take Riff and Barb back to your kingdom while I stay here in order to distract Branch and protect my people. No matter what happens after that, I can be happy knowing that you guys are safe.”

Sid frowned as he shook his head violently, causing his massive mane of black hair to billow around his body like smoke from a forest fire. “Fuck that. I'm not leaving you.”

“You have to! It's the only way I can keep you safe!”, she begged, desperate to make him understand.

“I said, I'm not leaving you!”, the purple male snarled back. “So get that idea out of your fucking head! We leave together, or I'm not leaving.”

Throwing her hands up in the air in defeat, the Poppy started to mutter darkly to herself as metal clouds of terror and despair clawed at her very heart and soul.

'He doesn't understand', her fevered mind chattered hysterically. 'He'll die, Riff will die! They'll all die! Why won't he let me save him? Branch will kill him, he'll kill him and I won't be able to stop it. I love him so much and now I'm going to have to watch him die and he won't leave, WHY?! I just want to save him, just want...Save, why...?!”

Sid watched his girlfriend in growing concern as she scratched and tore at her arms with her fingernails while continuing to seemingly argue with herself . He slid off the bed but kept his distance when the pink female jerked away and hissed. Feeling helpless, the guitarist mentally ran through every medical and psychological textbook he'd ever read in order to try and remember something, anything that could help his beloved.

“What about the other leaders? Couldn't we send word to them?”, he asked cautiously as a way to buy time.

“THEY KNOW!”, Poppy screamed shrilly before clapping a hand over her mouth and looking worriedly at the door. When the other Rock Trolls didn't make any noticeable sounds, she started up her pacing once again, her gate eerily erratic and jerky, almost like she'd forgotten how to walk.

“Well, maybe not all of them, but he told me that he'd convinced several of them to back his cause. If I try and get help, world will get back to him and he's going to start killing. The only one I can trust is Essence, but if I tell her, than Quincy will know. I don't know if he's working with Branch, but I know he still hates Barb and he's still furious that I voted against him gaining ownership of her during the war negotiations.”

Poppy stopped her rant as sharp stabbing pain ripped through her body. Crying out in agony, the pink female clutched her chest as she panted ever faster as her fear grew. 

“Goddamn it! Why can't I figure this out”, she wheezed, wrapping her arms around herself as the pain kept increasing. “I should...be...! Why can't...?! …?!”

Suddenly Sid's arms were around her as he pulled her against his bare chest. “Shhh. Shhh.”, he whispered soothingly as he effortlessly picked her up and crawled back onto his bed. “It's okay baby, we'll figure this shit show out together, I promise. Shhh. You're okay. You're okay.”

The Pop Queen struggled against his firm but gentle grip, desperate to keep moving, to tear her skin open, to do something, anything that might help keep her from going insane. “...can't! He's...too...too-!”, she shuddered as she grabbed her chest and sobbed with pain. “...so scared!”

The guitarist curled his body protectively around the tiny pink female and gently rocked her back and forth while he nuzzled her hair. “I promise that I'll keep you safe from that bastard”, he murmured back soothingly. “Please don't be sacred, I'm here. You don't have to do this alone”

He continued his rhythmic rocking until he felt the terrified Pop Queen's body relax and her breathing return to normal. Then, suddenly feeling exhausted beyond belief, the tall purple male clutched his girlfriend close to his chest while kicking the blankets back just enough to wiggle underneath. She tensed up in his arms but relaxed again as he gently nuzzled and kissed her hair reassuringly before he began to softly sing.

“When you're weary, feeling small  
When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all  
I'm on your side when times get rough and friends just can't be found

Like a bridge over troubled waters, I will lay me down  
Like a bridge over troubled waters, I will lay me down

When you're down and out, when you're on the street  
When evening falls so hard, I will comfort you, I'll take your part   
When darkness comes and pain is all around

Like a bridge over troubled waters, I will lay me down  
Like a bridge over troubled waters, I will lay me down

Sail on Silver Girl, sail on by, your time has come to shine   
All your dreams are on their way, see how they shine, oh  
If you need a friend, I'm sailing right behind

Like a bridge over troubled water, I will ease your mind  
Like a bridge over troubled water, I will ease your mind”

Poppy could only lay there, completely mesmerized by the muscular Rocker's deep melodic voice, the lyrics of the song and the intent behind them helping to bring her out of her panic attack. Snuggling into his loving embrace, she felt her eyes grow heavy as he started to sing another rock ballad, finally finding the comfort she'd needed for so long. The pink female listened for as long as she could until she lost her fight with her exhaustion and sleep overtook her.

OOOO

The smell of delicious food and the babble of happy voices slowly woke the Pop Queen from her deep slumber. Feeling more rested than she's had in days, she slowly sat up and stretched languidly, her mind a pleasant blank until the memories from earlier in the day came rushing back. Using the small amount of light streaming through the partially open door, the pink female looked anxiously around the darkened room for Sid, only to feel strangely sad when she saw that he wasn't there.

Heaving a sigh of disappointment, Poppy nevertheless took advantage of her sudden alone time to change the bandages on her mutilated ear. Using the small mirror from her kit, she was happy to see that although the organ still throbbed horribly, it had finished scabbing over and looked to be healing. Satisfied, she quickly rebound the wound, making sure the fake tip was in place, before putting everything away and burying the soiled gauze deep within the overflowing trashcan.

Finally ready, she padded softly across the dark blue carpet and quietly opened the door. Standing in the doorway unnoticed, the pink female watched her friends with indescribable feelings of joy, seeing them completely happy and relaxed for the first time since she'd met them.

Barb and Riff were sitting at the bright pink and yellow felted dining table, happily chattering away as they played footsies with each other. The Rock Queen looked completely transformed with her bright red hair cut and shaved into its signature mohawk combined with her makeup and jewelry. She'd also shed her bright contrasting Funk clothing for one of the several rock-inspired maternity outfits which consisted of an oversized ripped up t-shirt and black leather pants that had the front replaced with a soft stretchy material.

Now that his beloved was back safely with them, Riff almost seemed like a different troll himself. Gone was the crippling depression and frantic worry that had haunted the lank gray male, and in its place was the playful and happy-go-lucky Rock Troll she'd known back in Volcano Rock City. Tonight he'd forgone his black beanie, instead letting his thick black hair stick out adorably in all directions around his head, and wore a black t-shirt that read 'Pantera' paired with black jeans.

As Poppy walked toward the happy couple, Barb perked up and gave her a happy wave along with a smile. “Hey Pink! 'Bout time you woke up. I was starting to wonder if you'd sleep through dinner.”

“Like hell I'd let that happen”, Sid drawled in his heavy Rocker accent as he poked his head out of the kitchen and gave her a wink. “I'm not about to let my girl go hungry. Go. Sit. The food will be done in just a few.”

Blushing hotly at being called 'his girl', Poppy gave the guitarist a shy smile as she scuttled over to the open seat on the other side of the Rock Queen. “Sorry guys”, she said meekly while trying to watch Sid's butt from the corner of her eye as he walked back into the kitchen. “I didn't mean to sleep so long and cut into Barb's party time. I guess I over did it when I was trying to get things ready for today.”

“Yeah, you should've seen her Barb!”, Riff exclaimed while giving the pink female of look of deep respect. “Poppy was freaking out, trying to make everything perfect for you. She must've moved everything in your room, like, ten times before she was happy. She also folded and hung up your clothes, which I thought was kinda nice since you normally just cram them in drawers and stuff.”

“You did that all for me?”, the pregnant female grinned, sincerely touched as she held out her hand for a fist-bump. “That's pretty awesome of you! Thanks!”

“Hey, we're practically family now. It's the least I can do”, Poppy beamed as she fist-bumped the other female back.

The Rock Queen shook her head slowly and smiled at the pink female who looked at her confused. “Not Practically family. After all the shit we've been through, we ARE family.”

She paused as the other other Rock Trolls enthusiastically echoed her statement before continuing. “We've fought to keep each other safe and then decided to weather this shit-storm together so we can keep fucking doin' it. If that doesn't bind us together as family and junk, than I can't fucking think of anything that could. I'd die for any of you guys and the only other dude I'd say that about is my dad.

Barb gave each of her friends a fierce smile as they nodded and smiled in return, before leaning back in her chain and giving them a scowl. “Okay, I've had enough mushy crap last me a lifetime. If any of you guys has anything else puke-inducing to add, write it out in a rock ballad. I can always use more of that garbage for my gigs.”

“Whatever you say Barb”, Sid laughed from the kitchen where he was putting the finishing touches on their meals.

“She wants you to think she's all dark and dangerous and stuff, but Barb's really a big softy underneath that tough gnarly Rock Queen skin of hers”, Riff giggled at Poppy before the purple female growled and punched him hard in the arm. “Well, you are!” he added defensively.

The pregnant female snorted loudly, but didn't refute her boyfriend's claim as Sid brought out two heaping plates of food. He set down in front of the two seated Rock Trolls without a word before turning on his heels and swiftly darting back into the kitchen. Suddenly feeling famished, Poppy excited looked at the heavenly smelling meal and was surprised to see that it had been plated in such a way that it wouldn't have been out of place in one of Pop Village's most fancy restaurants.

Each of her friends had a huge steak on their plate, Barb's looking practically raw while Riff's looked a bit more done. A heaping mound spiced mashed tubers took up most of the plate with a small serving of steamed spinach squeezed in what little room was left. All of it looked amazing and it took all of the Pop Queen's self control to not try and snag a bite while she waited for her own dinner to arrive.

The guitarist came to her rescue a few seconds later as he came back out of the kitchen with several dishes held in his large hands. He first put down his own plate which contained a steak that was as raw as Barb's was before setting the pink female's dinner in front of her. Much to Poppy's surprise, her meal consisted of a salad made from a wide variety of nutritious vegetables topped with cheese, a delightful looking vinaigrette, and thinly sliced delicately cooked steak. A smaller plate of the mashed tubers and steamed spinach was quickly put next to it before Sid slid is large fore into the open chair next to hers.

As soon as he sat, Barb hissed at everyone to bow their heads and then began to pray in the most irreverent way that Poppy had ever heard.

“Hey Gods of Rock! It's me, Queen Barb. Thanks for finally getting off of your goddamned asses and answering my fucking prayers. It's about damn time. Now that you're actually paying attention, I'm also wanna thank you for the grub, my family, and all of your fucking awesome music! Keep it up dudes, 'cause you're really crushin' it. Rock on!”

After repeating her friends', “Rock on!”, Poppy watched Barb with amusement as the pregnant female gleefully attacked her steak, cutting bites large enough to choke trolls twice her size and stuffing them into her mouth. As her own stomach growled hungrily, the Pop Queen quickly followed suit, stabbing a bit of steak and a few leafy greens and popping them into her mouth. Her eyes flew open in amazement as the flavors from the oily dressing combined with the seasoning of the meat to create an intense flavor that was so good, it made her want to moan aloud in delight. While the pink female had always considered herself an above average cook, she didn't come close to having the skills it took to pull off tonight's dinner.

“Wow! This is amazing Riff”, she gushed out loud as she quickly took a bite of her tubers and found them just as amazing. “You have to tell me your secret!”

“Gotta ask Sid that one”, the gray Rock Troll laughed as he popped a bite of meat in his mouth. “He finally got off his lazy butt and made dinner tonight. It's about time too. I'm not bad or anything, but no one beats my main man when it comes to food.”

“Dick”, snorted the tall Rocker as eagerly ate his own meal. “You know damn well I had a fucked up arm. Doc warned me to take it easy and I ain't gonna risk losin' my ability to play just 'cause you wanted more time writing love poems to Barb.”

The Rock Queen almost choked on her steak as she looked at her boyfriend in surprise. “Dude! You wrote me POEMS?”, she laughed playfully as she gave the lanky gray male a gentle shove. “That's so fucking sappy!”

Riff gave the other male a look of deep betrayal before wrapping his arm around Barb's shoulders and pulling her into a one armed hug. “They're not poems, dude. They're lyrics to a rock ballad I'm working on. It's totally different stuff.”

“Yeah, totally”, Sid grinned back roguishly as he pointedly took another bite of his steak while staring at the other male in an unspoken challenge.

As tension started to mount, Poppy began to worry that the male Rock Trolls were about to start wrestling each other on top of the pink felted dining table. The two friends continued to stare at each other unwaveringly, each daring the other to make the first move for several unnerving minutes. Then all three Rock Trolls suddenly broke out in laughter, like they'd just invited the best in-joke of their lives.

The pink female stared at her Rock family in bewilderment for a moment when she suddenly got it. What had just happened had actually been the ultimate in-joke. What had seemed like cruel teasing that had lead to a dominance challenge hadn't actually been anything of the sort. Instead, they'd been airing out their insecurities which the others acknowledged before letting them know they accepted them the way they were. Well, that and being playful dicks. For Rock Trolls, it was apparently one and the same.

“Ya gotta show me when you get it done”, Barb murmured with a blush as she poked her serving of greens with her fork. “If it's any good, I'll write some music for it.”

Riff gave her a radiant grin as the purple female reluctantly finished off her spinach, her cheeks keeping their rosy hue. Poppy noted the exchange calmly while cheering wildly inside. Writing music as a couple was a troll courting ritual that all tribes shared and was part of every healthy relationship, no matter how good the song turned out to be. Happy to see her friends' relationship deepening, the pink female turned her attention to her own boyfriend.

Leaning over in her chair, Poppy hugged Sid's muscular arm and gave him a dazzling smile. “Sid, thank you for the food! It's simply amazing.”

The guitarist scratched the back of his neck, visibly embarrassed as he gazed down at the much smaller female. “Thanks Sweet-stuff”, he muttered happily. “I like cooking. Helps me think. It's usually falls on me or Riff to cook when we're out on tour. Beats tryin' to eat the slop Barb used to make when it was her turn.”

The Rock Queen scowled at the tall Rocker before flicking him off. “Fuck you”, she growled good-naturedly as she finished the last scraps of her dinner. 

Giving the plate a mournful look, the purple female eyed her boyfriend's half eaten meal for a few seconds before she started in surprise.

“Oh, fuck me! I was gonna tell you earlier, but after what happened with Pink, I kinda forgot. Um, guys? I'm having twins.”, she announced nonchalantly to the stunned amazement of her friends.

The house fell silent as Riff stared at his girlfriend in shock before swallowing his mouthful the wrong way and started choking. Side jumped up from his chair and pounded the gray male on the back until the bit of meat dislodged itself from his throat. The Rock Queen glanced at him nervously as he just sat there, fiddling with her red artfully ripped maternity shirt as everyone remained silent.

“Yeah, I felt the same way”, Barb confided, her husky voice filled with a confidence that wasn't reflected in her eyes. “I guess when that sadistic bastard wants to fuck up someone's life, he pulls out all the stops. Anyway, I got these huge pills I gotta take to help with my calcium levels. The obstetrician's worried that I won't have enough to spare when they form their eggshells in a few months. They want me to come in for checkups and shit like that, so Essence is gonna send a small med ship out when I need to be seen. Um, just thought you guys would like to know”

When everyone continued to sit silently, the pregnant female's shoulders started to droop as she looked down at her lap and closed her sad pink eyes. “If-if that's too much for you guys, I'm really so-”, she began when Riff suddenly seemed to snap out of his daze and grabbed her hand.

“TWINS? NICE!”, the drummer shouted as he gave her a brilliant smile. 

There was no mistaking the pure love and excitement on his face and in his voice, which caused Barb to cheer up instantly. He eagerly hauled the pregnant female off of her chair and into his lap where he gave her a long romantic kiss before looking over at his friends with a silly grin on his face.

“Did you hear that? We're gonna have twins!”, he crowed excitedly, giving the Rock Queen a fierce hug. “Oh man! We're gonna need more diapers, and I mean, like, a shitload of diapers! Oh, and clothes. Probably other stuff too, but definitely diapers and clothes and whatever!”

“Hell yeah!”, bellowed Sid happily as he flashed the couple twin sets of devil horns. “Two's better than one, right? Well, maybe not with fire, 'cause last time fucking sucked. But twin Barbs runnin' around and rockin' the fucking joint? Sounds plenty cool to me.”

Poppy practically vibrated with happiness as she watched the excited couple embrace. Although she though she knew Riff pretty well by now, she'd been nervous at how he'd respond to the news that the female he loved was now going to have two of her rapist's Trollings. While the Pop Queen didn't know how Rock Trolls felt about such things, she'd had plenty of first hand experience with it in her own culture.

While most Pop Trolls were good parents when it came to their own biological offspring, her happy-go-lucky people tended to avoid caring for Trollings what weren't blood related in some way or another. Their focus on having fun at all costs made them reject Trollings that were orphans for from single-parent homes that might have something wrong with them that would impede that fun. Branch himself was a tragic example of just how damaging that mindset was and was most likely the catalyst that made the leaders create the thrice-damned law that bound Barb to the teal male. 

Giving a mental sigh of relief, Poppy slipped off of her chair and hugged the Rock Queen tightly above her large baby bump . “Congratulations you two! This is so amazing!”

Barb laughed joyfully at all the excitement as she hugged the pink female back. “And here I was, worried that you guys would be freaked out or mad at me or something. I know I was.”

“Dude!”, exclaimed Riff as he slashed the air with his hand. “How could we be mad at you? None of this is your fault or anything. I don't care how many of his kids you have, I'm gonna love all of you, no matter what.”

The Rock Queen gave her boyfriend a quavering smile before kissing him soundly again. Pulling away, she gave the lovesick male another smile before pushing herself back into her seat. Looking pensive, the pregnant female shook her head and gave a huge sigh.

“Damn. When the fuck did I get to be so stomach-heavingly sappy?”, she muttered to her ruefully. “And I used to be such a badass too.”

“Oh, you're still a badass. It's just that you've been growing as a person and found out that there's more to feel in life than just 'awesome' and 'let's break stuff'”, Poppy reassured the other queen as she also returned to her seat and began to eat her salad with a vengeance. 

“Yeah, whatever”, the purple female muttered enthusiastically as she went back to eyeing Riff's partially eaten steak. “Hey man, you gonna eat that?”

The drummer happily slid his plate over and watched his girlfriend with a dreamy expression as she devoured the meat like a starving animal.

“Gods, Barb, slow the hell down before you kill yourself”, Sid teased. “You know I can grill you up another one if you're still that fucking hungry.”

“Nah, I'm good”, the Rock Queen sighed happily as she finished off the last bit of fat and then snuggled back into the comfortable fuzzy chair. “Think I'm gonna doze for a little while while you two slow fucks finally finish eating.”

Laughing more at how adorable the pregnant female looked than at her words, Poppy and Sid happily went back to eating their meal.

OOOO

After they'd finished dinner and completely devoured the dark chocolate guitar-shaped cake, Poppy surprised her friends by announcing that one of her party activities was teaching them how to scrapbook. While all the tribes used arts and crafts to record their history and tell their stories, only Pop Trolls used the art form of felt, paste, and glitter. Rock Trolls on the other hand stitched their stories on incredibly thin pieces of denim and leather, with each book having a dozen or more incredibly detailed embroidered illustrations interspersed with pages of stitched words.

The three Rock Trolls had looked at each other uncomfortably before following the pink female into her office that also doubled as her craft room. Sitting down on the large fluffy cushions that surrounded the shot legged table, they watched the Pop Queen cautiously as she took down several large bottles of glitter from her massive bookshelves and cubbie holes that held her supplies.

“Now I know this isn't something that you guys usually do”, Poppy cheerfully admitted while continuing to lay out an incredible amount of art supplies. “But I thought it might be fun and learn each other's craft culture. I just know you're going to love it! Personally, it's my favorite activity! Well, after hugging, singing, dancing, and hanging out with my friends and family. Oh, I can't forget cuddling with Sid! Well, okay, sixth favorite thing then.”

“I dunno Pink”, Barb said doubtfully as she picked up a shaker bottle of bright pink glitter. “All this seems too...cheerful and sparkly for my tastes.”

“Don't knock it 'til you try it!”, the pink female cheekily shot back. “I made sure that I had enough black and darker felts on hand and bought plenty of denim, leather, and metal studs for you to use too. Just try and save something for the rockin' patches you make so can learn your craft after we're all done!”

Rolling her pink eyes at her friend's lame attempt at using Rocker slang, the Rock Queen picked up a piece of dark red felt and some fabric chalk and began sketching out a design. As she worked, Poppy happily began teaching her friends the basics of designing a page and how to make the moving parts that brought a scrapbook to life. Sid and Riff were slower to start on their projects than their queen had been, but after ten minutes or so, they too began to gleefully cut out shapes of their own. Soon the four trolls were chatting and joking with one another as if they'd known each other their entire lives.

“So Barb, what's it like to be a Rock 'N' Roll singer?”, Poppy asked as they worked on their creations. “I was exhausted just watching you preform at your reconciliation concert after the war. How do you turn off your Rocker persona afterwards so you can unwind?”

The Rock Queen looked up in surprise from the red sequin she was sewing onto a black felt winged horse with flaming hair and quickly shook her head. “It's not like that”, she protested. “You're not a fucking Rock 'n' Roll person for just a few hours a day or even when you're performing on stage. It's the rhythm of your whole life man. It becomes who you are. I have Rock 'n' Roll pumping through my veins, its what keeps me alive, and I wouldn't have it any other fucking way!”

The two male Rock Trolls nodded hard in agreement while giving each other fist bumps and smiles that involved a lot of lolling tongues and bared fangs.

“Do all Rock Trolls feel that way?”, Poppy asked in awe, Barb's declaration taking her completely by surprise.

While it was true that all Pop Trolls loved to sing and dance, the Pop Queen had never felt or even heard another of her people say that their music defined them as a people. It was and always had been the fun that had mattered most, with their music being a distant second. Looking at her new family as they nodded and cheered, the pink female finally realized just how vitally important Rock music was to their tribe.

“Do all Rock Trolls sing on stage then, or just the ones with outstanding voices like Barb and Sid?, she asked quickly, excited to know even more about their culture.

Both Barb and Riff looked at the muscular Rocker with identical incredulous expressions as the pregnant female gave him a playful slap on his bare chest. “What the fuck, bro? You been holdin' out on me? You never said you could sing!”

Sid shrugged self consciously as he went back to carefully sewing an artfully decorated felt troll vagina onto a denim skull that had a a snake coming out of its eye sockets. “I like guitar”, he said simply as he concentrated on his work.

“You can do both, you know that right?”, she snorted back as she smirked in amusement at his explicit creation. “Maybe if I can get that psycho to let me put on a concert, you could sing a few songs. I'd be willing to back you up on guitar.”

“Maybe I should”, the guitarist mused out loud while he glued the skull to the pop-up mechanism in his book. “Could be fun.”

Suddenly Riff groaned in exasperation as he accidentally cut the head off of his third clumsily drawn felt troll that night. “Man, why is this so hard?”, he lamented as he dropped his destroyed creation onto the small pile of similarly maimed felt pieces between his legs. “All mine look like some ax murderer got bored and decided to visit a music store or something.”

Barb laughed hysterically at the sad mess as she held up her own immaculately crafted page full of intricate Rock Trolls riding demonic flying horses while attacking a dark menacing storm with waves of music from their guitars. Sid chuckled as well as he held up his own artwork full of screaming skulls, lightning, breasts and genitalia. While his work wasn't as well crafted as the Rock Queen's, it was more than realistic enough to make Poppy blush a deep pink when she looked at it.

“You guys suck”, the lanky gray male groused before gazing mournfully at a cutout that could have literally been anything.

Feeling sorry for her despondent friend, Poppy leaned over the craft table and gave the drummer a big hug. “Don't worry Riff”, she reassured him. “Everyone finds it hard at first, but you'll get better with practice. Or it might turn out that scrapbooking just isn't your thing. If it's not, there are loads of other ways you can get your creativity on!”

“Well, I'm great at writing song lyrics and stuff!”, Riff interjected happy as he dumped half a bottle of glue onto his scrapbook page and stuck a haphazardly decorated leather figure into the middle of the mess.

“He really is, if you can fuckin' believe it”, Sid agreed as he put his creation to the side to finish drying.”The songs he writes chart really damn well. Which reminds me. If I get into this singing thing, you wanna help me write some original crap?” 

“Sure thing man! What are friends for?”, the drummer eagerly agreed as he grabbed a container of deep blue glitter. Giving the canister a hard shake, he coated his creation as well as the table around it with the tiny metal particulates. He stared at, his brow knitted in concentration, before adding more.

“Hell yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about!”, the other male cheered as he pumped his fist in the air. “Then when we get everything recorded, I'm gonna use this baby as my first album cover!”

The Rock Queen contemplated the tall Rock Troll's pornographic for a few moments before she shook her head in amusement. “Sure man, you go right ahead. Just don't come whining to me when half the parents in the Troll Kingdoms come after you with torches and pitchforks for 'corrupting our youth'.”

“Well, uh, maybe a limited edition or something?” Riff suggested timidly. 

To Poppy's amusement, all three Rock Trolls laughed and excitedly high-fived each other as if the drummer had let them in on a particularly juicy secret. As her friends celebrated, the pink female carefully picked up Barb's page to get a closer look. 

What she'd at first assumed were fabric trim on the horses' wings were in actuality tiny delicate embroidery, done in a technique she'd never seen before. Each feather had been carefully stitched as had the Rock Troll's features, clothing, and hair. All of the different stitches worked together to create an extra layer of depth that made the felt and leather creatures come alive.

“Hey, Barb?”, the Pop Queen called out. “Can you tell me how you created all these different embroidery? I'm one of the most crafty trolls in Pop Nation and I've never seen most of these kinds of stitches before!”

“Which ones?”, the pregnant female asked as she tilted her head to the side to get a better look. “Oh, that? That's just a chain stitch. It isn't anything special. And that's a fishbone stitch. That one's just time consuming, but since I do so much of my own album art and promo posters, I can whip that out in no time.”

“That's so awesome!”, Poppy giggled as she snuggled closer to the other queen, enjoying a conversation she never thought she'd have. “I didn't even see you sew them. What's this one?”

“Gods, Pink. Just about any old fucking thing makes you happy”, Barb grumbled good-naturedly as she looked where the other troll was pointing. “Now that one's a raised cup stitch, not for beginners. Ya know, I can teach you some of this shit if you like it so much.”

“You really should”, agreed Riff as he abandoned his soggy scrapbooking page and scooted behind the pregnant female until she was between his legs. Wrapping his arms around her, the drummer pulled her flush to his chest and gave a contented sigh before continuing. “Barb's so good at this stuff that even our historians ask for her help when they're making our big history tapestries.”

“Riff!”, the Rock Queen whined, turning a brilliant shade of royal purple in embarrassment. “Shut the fuck up!”

Sid made a rude noise and waved his hand dismissively at his friend's felt masterpiece. “Dude, we both know she only learned that crap because she sucks so hard at don' domestic work. Guess it's better than doin' the dishes ten fucking times 'cause she can't do 'em right the first eight goddamn times.”

Barb gave the muscular Rocker a nasty look as she reached for a clean sheet of felt along with a needle and thread. “Thanks man. Glad to know you care.”

The guitarist just shrugged and smiled. “Hey bro, you know I always got your back!”

OOOO

Time seemed to fly by as the four friends continued to chat and laugh. Poppy was amazed at the seemingly never ending amount of embroidery stitches that her friend knew. Watching the pregnant female closely, she committed each one to memory as she clumsily tried to follow along. 

It confused the pink female that the Rock Queen seemed almost embarrassed about her extensive knowledge of the creative ares, while her friends treated her skills with reverence and pride. The Pop Queen considered asking the other female about it, but seeing her so happy and carefree stopped the question from ever leaving her lips.

Sid meanwhile was attempting to show Riff the finer points of sketching out a felt figure as they laughed and tried to see who could come up with the most absurdly over the top song lyrics.

“How 'bout, 'Only time will tell if we stand the test of time'?”, the guitarist offered as he glued a scrap of leather onto a felt troll who's horribly drawn body had been further mutilated when Riff had haphazardly cut it out. “When you hear it, it sounds pretty fucking good, like when paired with an awesome guitar riff or whatever. But when you see the lyrics, you wonder; “What the fuck did I just read?”

“Yeah, dude. That's pretty good. Um, I mean bad”, the gray male agreed with a laugh while he wrestled with a full sheet of felt he'd somehow managed to glue to his arm. “I think I can one up you though. Um, how about, 'The minute you let her under your skin, then you begin to make it better'?”

Barb stopped her explanation of a rather complicated technique to roll her eyes at her boyfriend as she nudged him hard in the side. “That's not over the top, that's just fucking stupid. Letting someone under your skin doesn't make anything better, unless you mean sex, in which case it's just weird. There's better ways of tellin' someone you wanna fuck 'em without using...whatever that was.”

“That's the whole point!”, the drummer protested. “It's supposed to sound, like, super cool, but then you realize that it's kinda stupid.”

“So, you're admitting that it's stupid?”, the pregnant female teased as she continued teaching Poppy who to embroider metallic flames seemed to flicker when the felt was moved. “That's the first step in becoming a better musician.”

Riff stuck out his tongue and blew her a raspberry at his girlfriend who playfully returned the gesture. “You're just jealous that I have the skills to think up awesome lyrics like these.”

Using his playful banter as cover, the drummer slowly reached under the table and picked up a fallen bottle of glitter off the floor. Then, moving faster than the Pop Queen had ever seen him move, doused Sid in a thick stream of the bright pink sparkles. The guitarist sat stunned as he stared at his friend in disbelief before vigorously running his hands through his massive mane of black hair in a futile attempt to remove the highly contrasting sparkle dust.

“Fucking hell!”, he bellowed furiously, ignoring his friends' laughter. “Why the fuck did you do that for? This shit never comes out!”

“Hey man, Barb deserved it!”, Riff snickered as he kissed the top of his girlfriend's head.

“Hey, dumbass, I'm not fuckjng Barb!”

The lanky Rock Troll just gave him a big grin and a nonchalant shrug. “Man, I freaking hope not! 'Sides, it's not like I can dump glitter on my pregnant girlfriend, now can I?”

Before anyone could react, Riff launched another stream of glitter at the guitarist, adding lilac sparkles to the puffy mass. Swearing profusely, Sid grabbed yet another canister of florescent yellow glitter and dumped half of it on the other drummer's head, starting an all out glitter war between the two males. Barb quickly shot Poppy an apprehensive look, obviously worried about the other female's reaction at seeing their friends wasting her supplies.

The Pop Queen beamed back at her, completely thrilled at seeing the Rock Trolls having so much fun and handed the pregnant female a bottle of tiny baby blue metallic stars. Barb looked at her in surprise before flashing a wicked grin as both females joined in the fight. Soon the entire room along with its occupants were completely coated in the bright shiny powder as the pod rang with joy and laughter.

The front door was slammed open with a loud crash.

The newly formed family's happy and carefree mood was snuffed out, like a candle flame in the wind. They quickly clambered to their feet as they watched Branch storm into the room with varying degrees of fear and dread. The teal male's entire being radiated waves of narrowly restrained violence as he glared at the four trolls in disgust.

Folding his arms combatively, he trained his infuriated gaze on Poppy. “I thought I told you to have the bitch ready for me”, he calmly uttered, his voice cold and dangerous.

The Pop Queen quivered as sharp pain rippled in her chest at his words, the agony rendering her temporarily speechless. Barb herself seemed almost catatonic as she stared wide-eyed at the blue male in abject terror, her breaths coming in fists as she struggled to breath. Her tormentor watched them with a cruel smirk, finding intense pleasure in causing the females so much fear, until Riff blocked them from his view. 

“Back off asshole! I'm not gonna let you hurt her!”, the drummer snarled threateningly.

Branch looked at him in amusement, his blue eyes taking in every detail before sauntering over until he was within touching distance of the other male. Staring unblinkingly into the eyes of the furious Rock Troll, he sniffed and then gave a savage grin. “Poppy, why are you letting this piece of filth fuck my property?”, h inquired in a deceptively pleasant tone.

Riff's eyes widened in disbelief as the double barb hit home. Swearing, he pulled back his fist, only to have it caught by Sid who had come up from behind. The gray male glanced back at his friend and growled deep in his throat as he forcibly yanked his arm away before turning and clutching Barb hard to his chest. Glowering darkly, the drummer gently steered his girlfriend further into the Pop Queen's office and out of the survivalist's direct view.

Giving her boyfriend a look of intense gratitude, Poppy forced the fear from her mind as she tugged on Branch's brown suede leather vest, attempting to separate her former lover from her vulnerable family. Giving a delighted chuckle, the male Pop Troll allowed her to pull him into the main living space and over to the couch. Sid followed closely behind, hovering protectively behind the pink female. The survivalist narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw as he gave the other male a calculating look, but otherwise said nothing.

Feeling that lethal violence was just minutes, if not seconds away, the Pop Queen attempted to redirect the sadistic teal male's attention onto her. Forming and rejecting ideas with a deftness that would have made her ancestors proud, the pink female quickly realized that there was only one way to defuse the situation. Although what she'd have to do stung, she was ready to throw away what little pride left if it meant her friends' safety and happiness.

Poppy clasped her hands together and bowed her head submissively, prepared to beg and grovel if need be in the hopes of reaching what little bright spark was left in the troll she used to love. “Please Branch, Riff makes her so happy. She needs him if you want her to survive. Please let them stay together.”

Branch frowned at the passive Pop Queen in annoyance before looking over at Sid and then to the couple still in her office. She could practically hear him running through the calculations in his head, weighing the pros and cons before giving her a malevolent smile. 

“Of course, my darling”, he crooned as he gently brushed her cheek with his hand. “You know how much I love to make you happy.” 

Leaning down, Branch gently kissed Poppy's forehead, causing her to shiver in revulsion. At hearing Sid's strangled grunt, the pink female quickly prayed to the Rock Gods directly for the first time in the hopes they'd help her beloved resist the temptation to beat the living shit out of the other male. After what felt like an eternity, the survivalist moved away and narrowed his eyes resentfully as they flickered over to the seemingly stoic Rocker who stared back with a dull-witted expression. Only someone who knew him as well as Poppy did would be able to see that Sid was practically vibrating with suppressed rage.

“Barb!”, the male Pop Troll snapped, his voice cold and mean. “You have ten minutes to wash that crap off of your body and be on your back with your legs spread from me, or I'm going to have to institute punishment protocol number forty-two. Do you understand me?”

Barb gave a strangled whimper of fear as she pulled herself from Riff's grasp and started to run to the bathroom closest to her room. The drummer reached out and grabbed her arm, giving the pregnant female an agonized look when she turned to face him. Pulling on the gray male's t-shirt until his face was even with hers, the Rock Queen pressed their foreheads together as she closed her pink eyes. 

“I gotta go Riff. He's...he's my mate and if I wanna stay here with you and everybody else, I gotta do what he says”, she whispered just loud enough for Poppy to hear. “I...I can't lose you. Not again.”

Giving a strangled sob, Riff pulled the pregnant female into a tight hug, being careful of her large belly and buried his face into her red mohawk.

Branch glared jealously at the couple for a few moments before he gave a low venom-laced growl. “Tick-tock bitch”

His caustic words caused Barb to spring away from the drummer as if he'd electrocuted her and cowered low to the ground. She stared up at the angry male Pop Troll, her bright pink eyes filled with soul-wrenching fear, before she dashed across the pod and into the bathroom with Riff following close behind.

After nodding in satisfaction at the sound of the shower running, Branch turned and gave Sid a cruel taunting smile. Folding his arms, he began to circle the tall Rock Troll, inspecting the other troll from head to toe. The guitarist stood ramrod straight as he glared hotly at the other male, but otherwise did nothing, refusing to play the teal male's sick little game.

“So, it looks like my other fuck-toy's made a new friend”, Branch sneered. “I suppose I shouldn't be that surprised. Making friends is the only thing that vapid little bitch was ever any good at. But I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed. I'd thought that she had SOME kind of standards, but apparently that was just too much to hope for.”

Poppy sucked in a harsh breath at her former lover's blatant attempt to get under Sid's skin. She cursed herself for not having seen the obvious solution to one of Branch's biggest problems; getting rid of her male friends. If he could prove how 'dangerous' the male Rock Trolls were, not even her supporters would aid her in stopping the mob that would storm her pod when they came after them. After they were gone, it would be mere child's play from Branch to forcibly take her and Barb back down into his bunker, never to be seen again. Thankfully, the guitarist seemed to realize what the survivalist was trying to do and was making a visible effort to ignore his hateful words.

Not getting the reaction he wanted, Branch switched tactics. “It's pathetic to watch Rock Trolls like you try so hard to impress your betters. As if you're anything special. I mean, really. What do you think you have going for you? Poofy hair, a loud obnoxious noise I'd hesitate to classify as music, and a fashion sense that practically screams 'pathetic edgelord'. It's sad really.

But since I'm such a nice guy, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. No one thinks you're cool. In fact, no one even thinks you should be left alive. The only reason why your pathetic little tribe hasn't been wiped off the face of our would is because your females have such amazing holes for us to fuck.”

“Branch!”, Poppy snapped angrily as Sid dug his nails into the palms of his hands in an effort to stay calm. “You can make fun of me all you want, but I'm drawing the line at attacking my family. You might be able to get away with it out in the village, but I won't allow it in my home. And before you ask, yes, this is me pulling me queen card, if that's even means anything to you anymore.

“Family!”, Branch laughed divisively as he shook his head in amusement. “You'd call garbage like that, 'family'? Poppy, that's disgusting. Of course it does make a sick sort of sense if you're already fucking them. Come on, you can tell me. It's the big one, isn't it? You two share the same dull stupid expression, so I can see why you'd be attracted to him.”

The survivalist's words hit the pink female like a bucket of ice water, helping to extinguish the remnants of her fear to the point where her emotions were back under her control. This was the tipping point. If the teal male even guessed that she and Sid were dating, that would be the end of all of them.

“They're the most wonderful family a troll could ever wish for”, the Pop Queen growled back defiantly. “And I'm not having sex with anyone, not that it's any of your business.”

Branch regarded her with narrowed, aggressive blue eyes as he judged whether she was telling him the truth or not. Poppy stared back at him levelly, finally glad that her inability to tell a convincing lie was finally working in her favor for once. Apparently satisfied that his former lover was telling the truth, the survivalist gave Sid a unpleasant smile.

“What's the matter, big boy? Can't get it up? Or is it that your cock's so unimpressive that you can't even get a whore like Poppy to give you a go?”, he laughed hatefully in the tall Rocker's face.

Sid's hair started to fluff up in anger as he began to lose the battle with controlling his temper. Poppy felt the guitarist's deep angry growl in her bones more than she heard it with one good ear as he bared his teeth threateningly at the other male. Taking a risk, she darted over to her boyfriend and grabbed one of the purple male's fingers and gave it a reassuring squeeze, helping the Rock Troll to regain his composure.

Branch's breath hitched as he watched the exchange with astonishment. “You watch yourself Rock filth”, he seethed, jabbing a finger just millimeters from Sid's violet-red eyes. “Poppy's mine. If I find out that you're touched her, I'm not going after you, I'm taking it out on her. I don't need her in one piece, I just need access to her sweet hot pussy while her bones knit back together.

Both Pop Trolls started in surprise when the guitarist began to laugh. “Oh Gods! This is fucking rich!”

“What is?”, Branch snapped back, irritated by the other male's reaction.

“You man! You fucking come in here, all badass with your threats and fear tactics. But dude, it's all a show and a shitty one at that. I put on concerts for a living, I should know. It's pathetically obvious how you're tryin' to piss me and Riff off until we fucking lose it. Then you'll have us killed and take the girls. Really man? I expected something more subtle and nuanced than this fucking train wreck.”

“If you really think that you've got me all figured out, then what's stopping me from just killing you now?”

Sid just laughed and dismissed the other male's words with an unconcerned wave of his hand. “Dude, I already told you, it's not gonna work on me. I'm not afraid of you.”

The room suddenly felt twenty degrees colder as Branch's cocky demeanor melted away to reveal the stone cold killer underneath. Bearing his too-pointed-for-a-Pop-Troll's fangs, the survivalist snarled with enough ferocity that even the guitarist recoiled in surprise.

“You should be”, he whispered back.

Before either Poppy or Sid could otherwise react, the bathroom door opened and effectively shattered the dangerous tension that had surrounded them. All three trolls turned to watch Barb, her hair still wet from the shower, flat out run across the pod dressed only in a red fluffy towel. Branch looked down at his hug watch and gave a satisfied nod.

“Thirty seconds to spare! Well done bitch!”, he called out as she darted into the darkened bedroom. “Looks like you get to miss out on playtime tonight!” 

The teal male turned to follow the Rock Queen, but was forced to stop when Poppy snatched ahold of his hand. “Hold on, Branch! I need to say something first.”

He paused for a moment before looking back at the pink female with those cold dangerous eyes she was beginning to get to know so well. Refusing to let the survivalist cow her into submission, Poppy steeled herself mentally and forged onward.

“I know that as Barb's mate, you're entitled to have sex with her. However, if I think you're going too far and putting her or the baby in danger, I'm personally going to go in there and stop you.”

“You?”, her former lover laughed incredulously. “I don't think so. We both know you don't have the balls for that kind of violence. You cry for the weeds we pull from our gardens for Gods' sake!”

The Pop Queen just stood there looking at him steadily, letting her determination and conviction shine though her pink eyes. While she knew that she was no match for the much stronger male, she'd still try. Ff he took her down, she was going to inflict as much damage as she could before he did. The pink female had made a vow to protect her family as best she could and she intended to keep it.

Scowling, Branch harshly shook her off, almost causing the pink female to fall on her face. “Luckily for you, I've already decided to hold off on anything too extreme until after my little breeding whore pops out her egg. But I promise you this. The more you try and interfere, the worse I'm going to treat her AND her little bastard.”

Glancing over at the two furious male Rock Trolls, the survivalist gave them a triumphant grin. “That applies to all of you. Now why don't you be a good little girl and go clean up the mess your mangy pets made of your office while I go screw the hell out of my mate.”

Riff's hair bristled as he growled and went to rush the gloating male, only to be stopped once again by Sid. Pinning his arms behind his back, the larger male pressed his friend against the wall before leaning in close. 

“You gotta fucking chill man”, the guitarist whispered, his voice barely louder than the sound of his own breathing. “There's major shit goin' down that you don't know about. We're workin' on getting us outta here, but you gotta work with us for now.”

“Good boys! Who knew Rock Trolls were so easily trained?”, the teal male laughed as he entered Barb's bedroom and shut the door, the latch catching sounding impossibly loud in the sudden silence.

Although the Fuzzlings had built the addition to the pod with the highest quality materials they could get, it didn't prevent the trio from hearing Branch's angry voice and Barb's muffled cries of pain through the door. Soon the rhythmic sound of sex along with the male Pop Troll's moans of passion echoed though out the family's home as they stood there helplessly, not knowing what to do.

“It's not fair!”, Riff choked as a gut-wrenching sob tore through his chest. “She's so loving and fiery and amazing! She deserves...she deserves so much more than this!”

The drummer staggered drunkenly over to the pink felted couch and collapsed onto it in a boneless heap as he grieved, with the two friends worriedly following behind. Poppy gently climbed up and knelt on the cushion next to him, nuzzling his ear while she hummed a gentle song in a futile effort to frown out the sounds of pleasure and pain that came from behind the closed door. Sid slumped himself down on the other side of Riff and pulled the other male into a bone-crushing hug.

“It's not your fault, man”, the muscular Rocker told him gently, his voice breaking as he fought back tears of his own. “You're doin' all you can.”

Growling viciously, Riff violently fought his way out of the guitarist's embrace and practically threw himself off the couch. Poppy felt fear shoot through her body as the normally sweet and laid-back male glared at Sid with eyes full of anger and resentment.

“Yeah, you're right!”, the drummer spat as tears ran unheeded down his face. “It's not my fault, it's YOURS! You keep fucking holding me back instead of helping me take the bastard down. I mean, come on man! He's just one dude! We could take him easy. But for some reason, you'd rather sit on your ass while that fucker's hurting Barb in the next room! Why'd you choose now of all times to turn into a goddamn coward?”

Sid reacted as if he'd been slapped, recoiling from Riff with enough force to move the couch a few inches across the floor. Expressions of white hot fury warred with shame and heat-breaking pain that writhed across purple male's face as he shook like a leaf in the wind. Bowing his head, the guitarist gripped his fluffy long black hair and pulled it while he struggled to regain control of his emotions. Finally he sighed and slowly stood up to face his friend with sad, tired eyes.

“Look man, I get where you're commin' from. I do. This whole thing fucking sucks. But if I thought I could fix everything by punchin' that asshole's teeth down his fucking throat, I'd have done it already. The twisted little shit's thought everything out and if we don't do this right, a lot of trolls are gonna die. Right now he needs Barb alive and Poppy happy, which means he can't go too far. That gives us time, maybe not a lot, but hopefully enough to find a way outta this mess.”

Riff glared angrily at Sid for a few moments before looking away as he clenched and unclenched his hands. The guitarist watched him for a moment before his shoulders slumped and he bowed his head with a soul-weary sigh, his massive fluffy mane of black hair once more obscuring his face.

“I understand if you hate me Riff. The Gods know I do”, the purple male whispered, his voice hoarse with the emotions he was still struggling to keep in check. “I'll let you beat the crap outta me if you think it'd help, but I wanna make you a promise first. If we haven't found a way out of that psycho's little game by the time Barb's gonna birth her eggs, I'll make sure she gets somewhere safe, even if I have to die doin' it. I swear, I'm not gonna let that bastard fuck up the rest of her life.”

Poppy quickly covered her mouth as she gasped in horrified astonishment. Pop Trolls didn't make promises lightly, not even frivolous ones and from the way Riff whirled back around and gaped at the muscular Rocker in shock, the same was probably held true for the Rock tribe as well. The purple male lifted his head and met the other's gaze, the sincerity of his promise reflected in his violet-red eyes. The room was completely silent save for the sounds of sex, as they steadily regarded each other.

The lanky gray male wiped his runny nose with the hem of his t-shirt before looking down at the floor. “I-I don't hate you man, you're practically my brother. It's just- I hate letting that bastard do that to her! I know there's stuff going on that you guys aren't telling me about. It's probably better that way, 'cause I'm already willing to kill the guy. I just wish we could take our chicks and fucking leave.”

“Me too, bro. Me too”, Sid murmured back sadly.

Riff gave the other male a watery smile before rushing over and enveloping the guitarist in a massive hug, almost knocking both of them to the floor. The Pop Queen gave a relieved smile as her friends clutched each other fiercely and clapped each other hard on the back. With things as bad as they were, the last thing they needed was for the members of their little family going at each other's throats.

'That's probably part of Branch's pla', the pink female realized to her disgust.

The sound of Barb's sobbing caused the three friends to look toward the closed bedroom door, identical looks of worry on their faces. Soon Branch's breathy moans of bliss drowned out the pregnant female's crying as he reached his climax. There was a few minutes of quiet that gave briefly gave them hope that the teal male had finished for the night, only for those hopes to be dashed when he started back up again.

Letting out a cry of pain and despair, Riff viciously tore at his large ears, pulling them down brutally against the sides of his head in an attempt to muffle the sounds of his beloved's suffering. “Help me! Please!”, he sobbed as he collapsed back onto the couch and started rocking back and forth. “Someone needs to do something before I say 'fuck it' and go in there!”

Sitting down between Poppy and Riff, Sid somehow managed to pull both trolls onto his lap. He then wrapped his arms around them in a group hug as Poppy began to sing the lyrics to the song she'd been humming earlier.

“Don't give up 'cause you have friends  
Don't give up, you're not the only one   
Don't give up, no reason to be ashamed  
Don't give up, you still have us

Don't give up now, we're proud of who you are  
Don't give up, you know it's never been easy  
Don't give up, 'cause I believe there's a place  
There's a place where we belong.

Don't give up  
Don't give up  
Don't give up”

The family kept their vigil together, listening closely to ensure that their most vulnerable member stayed as safe as she could as one hour slowly turned into two. Poppy forced herself to stay alert as she and Sid switched off singing the most uplifting songs they could think of, each hoping that their music would not only bring some comfort to Riff, but also to Barb as well. Finally as the first streaks of light were brightening the night sky, the sounds of sex stopped. The trio waited impatiently until Branch finally opened the door.

Smirking at the tear stained faces that watched him anxiously, the teal troll sauntered out and gave them a happy thumbs up. “I see what you mean about keeping my bitch happy. While I had a fun time teaching my mate her place, fucking a broken toy was getting kind of boring. I'm gonna have to admit, this version is much better. Good call Poppy!”

“You had your fun, now get out”, the Pop Queen ordered icily, all niceness gone as she flung herself to her feet and went to open her front door.

“Oh don't be that way”, he scoffed as he slowly walked over to the pink female.

The survivalist paused as he walked by Riff and glanced down at the furious male who looked at him with murder in his eyes. “So, how does it feel to know that I just fucked the living shit out of the love of your life? That it's my child growing inside of her and not yours?”

The drummer's face turned ashen as he stared dumbfounded at the male Pop Troll before violently trying to scramble to his feet.

“I SAID TO GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOME, BRANCH!”, Poppy screamed angrily, causing her hair to spike up in her rage. “NOW!”

“I was only joking”, Branch laughed as he slowly walked though the front door. “But seriously, you may want to chuck on the slut queen. I might have gotten just a tad rough with her when the bitch called out the wrong name when I made her come. But then again, it's just a thought.”

The three friends looked at each other in horror as the teal male continued to laugh merrily. Quickly slamming the door in his face, Poppy joined the two males as they ran into Barb's bedroom as fast as they could.


	11. Veteran of the Psychic Wars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things keep heating up as the real world intrudes on the domestic bliss that is Poppy's household. Between Branch's cruelty and her Pop friends hatred toward all Rock Trolls, Poppy has a lot on her plate. To make things worse, the secret she's trying to hide is getting to the point where if she doesn't learn to be honest with her friends, it just might kill her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS!:  
> Sexual Molestation, Abuse, Mind Fucking, Forced Sex, Branch being an asshole, Gross Medical Stuff
> 
> BIGGER WARNING!  
> DO NOT USE ANY MEDICAL TECHNIQUES IN THIS STORY IN REAL LIFE. Seriously, don't try this at home. I'm not a doctor, I'm not a nurse. I'm a writer. I did the research and I modified what I found to fit the story.
> 
> Notes:  
> Although Poppy is picking up more social cues from her Rock friends everyday (like being more physical during play and while letting off steam), she is still a Pop Troll at heart. People change all the time and this gives her a way to express herself in a way that she's never been allowed to because of her culture. Barb and company personally love it and it keeps her from internalizing everything which is literally killing her. 
> 
> For people who love the Snack Pack, please keep reading. I don't mean to piss you off and I promise I'll make it worth your while (for some of you anyway). 
> 
> For those who don't know, 'throwing the horns', 'devil's horns', and 'sign of the horns' all refers to the hand gesture that's very common in Rock 'n' Roll and Heavy Metal. It does NOT have anything to do with the devil. It's used to show excitement, encouragement, a greeting, and affection. You can trust me on this one, I'm a metalhead. I know. Of course, SOME people can use it to mean something like the devil, but then you can do that with the peace sign too.
> 
> I was going to add a shit ton of stuff on the composition of Rock and Metal groups and music theory in general, but didn't want to bore anyone who doesn't give a shit about things like that. If it's something some of you enjoy though, let me know and I'll add some where appropriate. I'm nowhere near an expert, or actually competent or anything like that, but I DO know enough to help me when I have time to play, as occasionally as that might be as of late.
> 
> If anyone was wondering, yes. Yes I have sketched out the pod and the different rooms. I also have charts and notes everywhere, some on the computer and some on paper. It's getting kind of crazy.
> 
> Things changed:
> 
> I didn't add Fuzzbert as one of her friends in this fic for two reasons. I see Fuzzlings as kinda like a hive mind (based on the BGO episodes where we see Fuzzbert act like a computer and in another where two Fuzzlings use a tonal beeping language to ask questions) and juggling that many characters while giving them all meaningful dialogue is both hard and tends to make a story boring. DJ Suki literally only had one line in the first movie because of it!
> 
> And sorry I take so long. I write my stories in three steps.
> 
> Step 1: Basic Story (Just bang it out. Make everything work and flow later)  
> Step 2: Rewriting to making things work. (Extra dialog and scenes.)  
> Step 3: Rewriting to make things flow better. (Fixing typos. Fixing characterizations.)
> 
> Anyway, please enjoy this chapter! The next chapter is gonna be long and awesome and will take longer to write.

OOOO

You see me now, a veteran of a thousand psychic wars  
I've been livin' on the edge so long where the winds of limbo roar  
And I'm young enough to look at and far to old to see  
All the scars are on the inside  
I'm not sure that there's anything left to me

~ Veteran of the Psychic Wars (Blue Oyster Cult)

OOOO(Poppy)

Poppy woke up feeling more exhausted than she had before she'd gone to bed. Yesterday had been jam packed with six parties she'd been required to attend, seen to five emergencies, performed four musical numbers, given three motivational speeches and finished a stack of paperwork that had gotten to be two feet tall. The day before that had been just as bad, as had the day before that. In fact, the last two weeks had been pure hell, with the Pop Queen having to wake up before dawn and going to bed well after midnight in order to keep on top of it all.

It certainly hadn't helped that Branch now seemed determined to be as big of a pin in her as as he possibly could. When he wasn't trying to force her into public displays of affection, he was at her pod, forcing Barb to mate with him, or trying to break her in fucked up ways. His actions had made it necessary for the pink female to either be on the defensive in order to protect herself and find the time to rush home thought out the day in order to make sure her pregnant friend was at least physically okay. When he wasn't doing either of those things, then she knew he was in the shadows, watching her with a predatory grin as he followed her around the village.

The survivalist's constant presence both served as an urgent reminder as well as a subtle threat that time was running out before the started the next stage of his twisted plan. She and Sid had only told the others the basics of what was going on after careful consideration on the pros and cons. They'd explained that the less they knew, the less they could give away and the safer they'd all be. Poppy hadn't been surprised when Riff had enthusiastically agreed, but had been taken aback when the Rock Queen had as well.

“After that motherfucker did those...things to me, it's like he'd crawled into my goddamned head”, Barb had said with a haunted look. “There's no fucking way I'm gonna put my family in danger because I was too much of a self-centered bitch to stay outta this mess and let you handle it. Pink, Sid, I trust you two fuckers with my life, so do what you gotta do. Just...just remember that if you need any help, tell me what I gotta do and I'll do it.”

While it felt good to know that her friends had her back, the constant stress and fear was continuing to take its toll. Poppy started her day terrified when she left her pod in the morning and stayed that way until she came home late at night. Not knowing who to trust, or when some troll would try and hurt her coupled with having to present a happy upbeat facade, kept the pink female in a state of being that was unnatural which slowly ate away at her health. The stomach pains had worsened until even Dr. Moonbloom was worried. While the new medication the doctor gave her helped, only being held in Sid's arms made it completely go away. Unfortunately with her busy schedule, it was a luxury she could only indulge in for a short time before having to get back to work.

Even with how terribly busy she was, Poppy made sure to spend at least an hour with her Rock family every day. Cuddled in Sid's lap, she and her friends swapped jokes and stories, created beautiful artwork, taught each other songs and talked about their cultures. Their time together was the one bright light the pink female had in a world that had suddenly gone dark and cold, and she found herself longing for when she could go home and be with them instead of enjoying whatever party or musical number like she'd used to.

The delicious smell of bacon and pancakes wafting through the air, helping Poppy finish waking up. The amazing dinner that Sid had made the night Barb had come home only hinted at the tall Rocker's phenomenal cooking skills. He cooked both Rock and Pop dishes to perfection and churned out cupcakes and pies that were to die for. To top it off, the guitarist put in the extra effort to ensure that the nutritional needs of both her and his Rock friends were met, which was no mean feat given their wildly differing diets. It really hadn't taken much convincing to turn over all kitchen duties her boyfriend when he'd asked. Poppy didn't know what she did to make the Pop Gods think she deserved Sid, but she certainly wasn't about to complain.

Not to be outdone, Riff had taken over the domestic side of things which helped keep life in their pod running smoothly. The Pop Queen would come home exhausted to find a sparkling clean home, with all of the laundry carefully washed, dried, and put away. She'd felt bad at first, but the fact was that she simply didn't have enough hours in the day to cook and clean as well as preform her queenly duties. Seeing her so upset, the lanky gray male quickly assured her that he didn't mind it in the least and that cleaning up after four adults was a lot easier than when he went to his mom's house to help with the six siblings who still lived at home.

Barb had tried repeatedly to lend a hand but Sid and Riff were always quick to put a stop to it, making the pregnant female sit down and rest despite her protests. While Poppy empathized with the Rock Queen feeling like she needed to help, the fact was that Branch's constant demands for sex as well as the lasting effects of malnutrition and the fact that she was carrying twins, took up every last bit of energy she had. In fact, the teal male had upped his display of dominance over the Rock Queen by dressing the exhausted female in the skimpiest clothing the pink female had ever seen and then dragged her around the village in order to show her off.

Poppy's happy mood soured instantly when she thought back to the last horrible outfit that Branch and made Barb dress in, much to the purple female's horror and embarrassment. The thing had consisted of a series of leather straps, with one running between her legs, pushing open the lips of her vulva to nestle in between rather than actually cover anything. The rest of it wasn't any better, with the one across the chest barely covering the Rock Queen's nipples on her expanding breasts. The 'outfit', if you could even call it that, was then covered by a purple sparkly see-through mesh that didn't conceal as much as enhance the beauty of the Rock Queen's exposed body.

It had almost to blows when the survivalist had attached a collar and leash around the pregnant female's throat and then violently dragged her outside. Poppy had pleaded with Branch to reconsider what he was about to do with no success. The teal Pop Troll had smugly informed her that nothing in their verbal contract forbade him from gifting his beloved mate clothing and then taking her out for some fresh air and exercise. Riff had flown into a rage and had to be wrestled to the floor by Sid until Barb calmed him down with a few loving words.

The guitarist had stayed home to keep the other male from doing something stupid, leaving it up to Poppy to try and keep an eye on the vulnerable female while she tried to preform her normal duties around the village. Much to her disgust, Branch allowed the large group of trolls that had followed them around to sexually molest and abuse the Rock Queen, only stepping in to slap or pull the purple female's hair when she tried to protect herself. The only act he didn't allow was full on intercourse, although at times it seemed pretty close.

That sort of behavior was something the Pop Queen had come to expect from her former lover, but it chilled her to the bone to see trolls she'd known all her life engage in it as well. Still more would watch the assaults with wide-eyed excitement or would merely shrug apathetically and turn away. The pink female had tried to step in on multiple occasions, only to be jerked away and held forcibly against her will until Barb's attacker was finished. With the numbers against her and her friends unable to help, there was little she could do that wouldn't cause the situation to explode like a powder keg.

After Branch had finished his sick little game, Barb had done her best to pretend that what had happened hadn't effected her. But Poppy and the others had held the purple female as she cried hopelessly on their laps and shoulders too often for the lie to fool anyone. By mutual unspoken agreement, the friends never challenged the Rock Queen's bravado filled claims that she was fine, knowing that it was one of the only things keeping her together. 

Pushing the dark thoughts from her head, Poppy slid out of bed and forced herself to smile. Running through all of the things that made her happy in her head, she decided that today would be the day that she helped change at least of of her people's minds and attitudes for the better. One didn't seem like much, but the pink female was willing to take every tiny victory she could get. After all, it would be a lot easier foiling Branch's plans if most of Pop Village sided with their queen.

Padding across her soft pink carpet, she opened her door and peered out into the main living area. While Sid wasn't where she could see him due to the curvature of the walls, the Pop Queen could certainly hear him singing to himself in the kitchen over the sound of sizzling bacon. Riff meanwhile was kneeling on the floor, picking up the massive flurry of paperwork she'd knocked to the floor when she'd fallen asleep on top of it. The drummer sorted the pieces of felt as he went, placing the different forms in neat stacks on top of Barb who'd fallen fast asleep on the couch.

“Hey guys”, Poppy cheerfully called out, accidentally startling the Rock Queen.

“I'm awake! I'm awake!”, the heavily pregnant female slurred as she sat up and looked around in confusion. 

Looking down, she watched blankly as the stacks of felt swiftly slid off of her body and hit the floor, the pages scattering like autumn leaves on the wind. Sighing, the gray male shrugged ruefully as all of his hard work was undone in seconds.

“Sorry Riff”, the pink female apologized timidly. “You know you really don't have to do that. I was going to get it before I left for work.”

Riff gave her a bright smile that seemed to light up his brilliant blue eyes as Barb leaned over and kissed him on the top of his head. “It's cool. You've been working so hard and stuff, it's the least I can do.”

“Yeah”, yawed the Rock Queen as she draped herself tiredly across her boyfriend's back. “It's the Rocker code. When you're out on tour, or in the studio, or even after an epic part, everyone's supposed to pitch in so shit gets done. I've sewn together more pieces of furniture and repaired more clothes than I can fucking count. And when I'm not doin' that, I'm repairing guitars and junk. It's just what you do.”

Hearing his friends talking, Sid poked his fluffy head out of the kitchen and slowly looked Poppy up and down with an appreciative smile on his face. The Pop Queen blushed hotly under his intense scrutiny, even though she knew her fuzzy pajamas covered far more of her body than her everyday dresses did.

“Good mornin' baby”, he crooned in a silky soft voice, his Rocker accent causing her to feel pleasant tingles throughout her body. “Love your pjs, but I think you'd look better in what I wear to bed.”

Riff looked up at the guitarist confused as he gently rubbed the Rock Queen's gravid belly, something that the purple female loved immensely. “Dude, don't you sleep naked?”

“Exactly”, Sid purred, his violet-red eyes never leaving Poppy's pink ones.

Giving his girlfriend a seductive smile, the guitarist disappeared back inside the kitchen, leaving Poppy covering her burning face with her hands and trying to calm down her raging hormones. Groaning, Barb rolled off of Riff's back and staggered to her feet.

“Kay, that's my cue to go puke”, the pregnant female gurgled as she held one hand to her stomach and used the other one to cover her mouth. “First because you two are disgustingly cute together and second because if I don't fight it now, I get to keep my fucking breakfast later.”

At her words, the drummer quickly got to his feet and gently placed a hand on the small of Barb's back. Shooting him a look of immense gratitude, she let the lanky gray male guider to the Rockers' bathroom.

“Oh, you're one to talk”, Poppy laughed. “You two are just as cute as we are!”

The Rock Queen let out an amused chuckle and had just enough time to flick her off before the bathroom door gently clicked shut behind them. Giggling at the antics of her friends, Poppy bounced back into her bedroom and over to her wardrobe to get dressed for the day. She was just slipping out of her bedclothes when she heard someone pound loudly on the front door. Curious as to who it was, the pink female paused to listen as the front door opened. All she could make out was muted mumbling until her boyfriend answered them back. 

“Mornin' dude”, she heard Sid say politely. “Poppy's busy getting' dressed right now. If you could give her, like fifteen minutes to eat and finish getting' ready, that'd be awesome.”

“Why the fuck are you even talking to me, you dumb piece of shit?!”, snarled a deep voice that could only belong to Smidge. “When I give you an order, you're supposed to shut the hell up and do as you're told. Now go get Poppy before I rip that rat's nest you call hair right off your goddamn head! I need her to come with me and I need her now!”

“Look man, I don't know what your fucking deal is, but if you gave a shit about Poppy, you'd at least let her eat first”, the guitarist growled back dangerously. “She didn't come home until after midnight an' fell asleep before we got any food in her. You guys need to chill the fuck out and stop workin' her so hard, or you're gonna wind up killin' her.”

Knowing Smidge's temper, the Pop Queen ripped the first garment from its hanger and threw it on haphazardly as she ran to her bedroom door. Grabbing the polished rose quartz knob, she threw it open in time to see the small yellow female punch Sid full on in the stomach. The muscular Rocker went down with a high pitched cry of agony, curling up into the fetal position on the yellow carpeting as his assailant laughed cruelly at his pain.

Letting out an agonized cry of her own, Poppy ran to her boyfriend and threw himself down by his side. Carefully cupping his agonized face in her hands, the Pop Queen turned and glared at her enforcer, making the Pop Troll take a step backwards in surprise.

“What the hell Smidge!”, she snarled, dark and dangerous, as her hair bristled in fury. “Sid didn't do anything to you.”

“B-b-but he's a Rock Troll!”, the smaller female stuttered, confused. “H-he's supposed to do what I tell him, not talk back.”

Not in the mood to listen to excuses Poppy let all of the fury and disgust she felt show on her face as she narrowed her eyes, causing Smidge to fall silent. “You need to leave. Now”, she ordered icily. “I'll be out after I've taken care of my friend and eaten my breakfast.”

The yellow Pop Troll looked at Poppy, deeply hurt, before darting over to Sid who had his arms wrapped around his middle while he rocked back and forth, trying to ride out the pain. “But, I thought I was your friend”, she whispered in a tiny scared voice, so unlike the deep boom she was famous for.

“Then maybe you should start acting like one. Go and get the Snack Pack in one hour. It's time we all had a little talk.”

The blood seemed to drain from Smidge's face, causing her complexion to turn a pasty white, Without another word, she slowly closed the door behind her, worried blue eyes never leaving Poppy as the pink female went back to comforting the tall purple Rock Troll.

As the door clicked shut, Poppy worriedly pushed Sid's long black puffy hair out of his eyes before gently cradling his head against her chest. “Sid, sweetheart, are you okay? Should I get the doctor?”

The muscular Rocker opened his mouth, but only shuddered and coughed when he attempted to speak. The Pop Queen looked at him in horror and as started to cry. The guitarist had once again thrown himself in harm's way, attempting to protect her from the dangers posed by her own people, and once again had gotten injured because of it. He had always seemed so strong that it shook her when she realized just how easily his life could be taken away.

After a few agonizing minutes, Sid gently freed himself from the pink female's embrace and slowly sat up. He breathed heavily for several seconds before trying to stand up, accepting help when Poppy offered it with a grateful smile. With a hard lurch, the guitarist managed to get to his feet with a loud grunt of pain.

“Bitch can really throw a punch!”, he gasped with a shaky laugh while he leaned against the back of the couch for support. Looking at his girlfriend's worried face, he gave her another smile as he gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I'm okay Sweet-stuff, I promise. I've taken worse hits while moshing at concerts. Just give me a few minutes and I'll be good.”

Looking into his kind rugged face, Poppy's heart surged with overwhelming love for the purple male. Standing on her tiptoes, she gently grabbed his head and pulled it down until their lips touched in their first real kiss. Sid froze, confused at first but then wholeheartedly joined in, pulling the pink female flush against his body. They kissed passionately for several minutes like they were the only thing keeping each other alive. They finally broke apart with twin blushes when they heard the toilet flush in the bathroom.

“Wow”, Poppy gasped, as her mind and body buzzed pleasantly with love and lust.

Sid chuckled as he brushed a wisp of her messy pink hair behind her uninjured ear. “Gonna have ta fucking agree with you on that”, he murmured huskily with a wink of a violet-red eye.

They looked at each other tenderly, with the Pop Queen being the one to look away. “I'd love to, um, do more of that, but...uh...”

The tall Rocker looked down at her regretfully before kissing the top of her head. “It's cool. You gotta lot of shit to get done and I need to get my ass back to finishing up breakfast. 'Sides, there's always tonight.”

Poppy nodded happily, glad that he understood, and held her fist out to her boyfriend. Sid looked at it with a grin and gave her a fist-bump before turning and limped back into the kitchen. He came back out carrying several large platters of food which he quickly served up on individual plates. The pink female hurried to her seat to see strawberry pancakes with two perfect sunny side-up eggs and crispy bacon on top, making her breakfast look like it was smiling at her. The food was almost too adorable to eat, but the heavenly aroma would make sure it didn't stop her.

The bathroom door opened soundlessly as Barb emerged, still looking queasy. She took one look at the food on the table before turning around and pushing past Riff in her haste to get back inside. Sounds of retching followed, making the other trolls grimace sympathetically. The drummer went to turn around and join her, only to pause when he saw the deep bruising that was beginning to appear on Sid's stomach.

“Dude!”, he gasped, horrified. “What the hell happened?”

“Had a run in with that fucking little psycho. Don't worry, it's nothin'”, the taller male said simply, waving away his friend's concerns.

Riff looked over at Poppy who just shook her head slightly. If Sid didn't want to talk about it, that was his right. But she wasn't about to the incident go so easily. The pink female was determined to get some answers from her former friends and she was going to get them even if it killed her.

OOOO(Poppy)

It had taken the Pop Queen quite some time to cool down after Smidge's unprovoked attack. She'd never felt such intense feelings of anger and rage before and feeling them now was like discovering a side to herself that the pink female hadn't even realized existed. Strangely, it wasn't as bad or negative of an experience like she'd thought it'd be. Instead, it felt like being colorblind and then suddenly being able to see the full spectrum of the rainbow. The Pop Queen felt more balanced now than she'd ever had felt before in her life. Confused, she'd hesitantly asked Sid about it while they cleaned up after breakfast, hoping he'd be able to help her understand what was going on.

“Feelin' negative stuff like that ain't always a bad thing”, he'd told her while scrubbing a cast iron skillet. “Bein' pissed at an injustice can lead to change. Fear helps stop us from doin' dumb shit that'll get ya killed. Guilt lets you know when you've royally fucked up. While all those feelings fucking suck, they can also change things from the better. It's all in how you choose to act of them.”

Her boyfriend's wise words still rang in Poppy's ears as she walked across Pop Village, while her people started to wake and begin their day all around her. Using her dark pink hair, she flung herself up into the treetops, enjoying the adrenaline rush as she flew through the air. Nimbly grasping branches and vines, the pink female traveled through the sky unobserved until she found herself in front of Smidge's yellow and green pod. Taking a deep breath, she tried to steady her nerves as an uncharacteristic flood of doubt wracked her to her very core.

'What if no one's there?', her mind gibbered fearfully to itself. 'What if they told Branch and he's inside, waiting? What if he drags me to his bunker! Could I get away? What if they don't want to be my friends anymore! What if-”

Slowly letting the held breath back out, the Pop Queen drew on the training she'd received as a princess and slowly let her fears fade away, if only for a short time. Feeling calmer, she popped a few pain pills to dull the terrible throbbing in her injured ear, and then knocked on the door. To her immense relief, it was Smidge who opened the door and looked at her with worried eyes and not Branch, like her fears had whispered it would be. 

After being invited in, Poppy was happy to see that all of her friends had decided to see her, with the exception of Cooper who was still away on family business. The six trolls watched her with expressions ranging from anger and disgust, to sadness and relief as she gave them a neutral smile. After giving them a friendly greeting, the pink female waited for it to be returned, only to have them stare stare silently back.

“Thank you all for coming”, she began stiffly, beginning to feel uneasy around her former friends. “There's been a lot going on and I some of my actions have upset some of you. I'm hoping we can take a few minutes to sit down and talk things out.”

The other Pop Trolls didn't react and continued staring at her silently, their expressions vaguely hostile expressions never wavering. Wincing slightly, Poppy mentally gave a weary sigh. 

“Okay, I'll go first”, she offered as she looked down her enforcer. “Smidge, what you did to Sid today was completely inexcusable. All he did was ask that you give me a chance to eat and severely injured him because of it.”

The deep-voiced troll looked back with the same angry and hurt expression she'd had when Poppy demanded that she leave her home. “But Poppy, he was totally out of line! Rock Trolls are filthy, stupid, disgusting, dangerous creatures. He has no business talking to his betters like that!”

Feeling her fragile aura of calmness waver dangerously, the Pop Queen clamped down hard on the feeling in an attempt to keep it from slipping away. “For your information, my Rock friends shower daily on their own volition and have impeccable hygiene. The only time they don't wash is when they're on tour and can't find a place to safely bathe. Strangely enough, it can be difficult to find water that isn't at boiling temperatures in a land filled with volcanoes.

As for your next ugly stereotype, Rock Trolls are just as intelligent as any Pop Troll. Sid's not only read through all of our archaic law texts, he understands them a hell of a lot better than I do. And believe me, that's saying something! As for dangerous, YOU were the one who attacked him. In fact, every time one of my Rock friends have gotten hurt, it's because of Pop Trolls, not the other way around.”

The gathered trolls looked increasingly uncomfortable as the Pop Queen talked, but continued to remain silent after she'd finished. Guy Diamond, who was a glittery subspecies of Pop Troll, looked over at the hot pink DJ Suki who gave a similar look in return. Before either troll could speak up, the usually timid Biggie beat them to it.

“But Poppy!”, the giant blue troll exclaimed as he cuddled his pet worm, Mr. Dinkles to his chest. “They burned down our village. They can't be good people if they go around doing things like that!”

“Yes, they've made some mistakes”, Poppy reluctantly conceded. “But Queen Barb went above and beyond what we asked her to do in order to atone for those mistakes. Everyone messes up sometimes, even me!”

“Tell us something we DON'T know”, Smidge muttered under her breath, intentionally loud enough for the Pop Queen to hear.

“But they're clearly an inferior kind of troll”, Guy interjected smoothly as he lithely got to his feet. “If you don't believe me, just look at their disgusting colors and their gross poofy, nappy hair. They're disgusting! They need to stay in their dull dreary land where their repulsive looks can't offend the eye of more refined trolls.”

“Don't get me started on those clothes!”, started Satin, only to be finished by her conjoined-at-the-hair twin, Chenille. “So primitive and revolting!”

Poppy stood there stunned and silent as her six friends quickly started talking over one another, spewing hateful comments in a cacophony of noise. They happily insulted and tore down all the wonderful things that made her beloved Rock family who and what they were. After they showed no intention of stopping their verbal assault, the pink female finally lost her temper.

“THAT IS ENOUGH!”, she screeched loud enough to be heard outside. “I won't have you talking about them like that. My friends almost died because of that kind of thinking and it's what lead Branch to hurt Barb in a way that NO ONE should EVER be hurt!”

The room fell as silent as a tomb as the Pop Queen's furious words reverberated off the yellow haired walls. The other trolls looked at each other in bewilderment, clearly not knowing what to say. No one would even look at her as the minutes ticked by, until Biggie once again took the initiative.

“Maybe...maybe trolls like Barb do deserve to be raped and beaten”, he began tentatively. “She's a bad person Poppy, no matter what you say. Bad people deserve to have bad things happen to them.”

“Who cares if he hurts her anyway?”, laughed Guy with a huge grin. “It's not like she matters. She's not a Pop Troll after all.”

The other Pop Trolls laughed at that and gave each other high-fives, making Poppy feel sick to her already aching stomach. Feeling like she was going to pass out, the pink female turned to the door, only to pause when she saw the glitter troll's hair start to move.

“What about me, Daddy?”, came Tiny Diamond's deep voice as the Trolling pushed his way out of his father's hair. The toddler looked like he'd been crying, his eyes puffy and red behind his large yellow sunglasses. “Are you okay with people bein' mean and hurtin' me, 'cause I ain't a Pop Troll either?”

Guy Diamond looked up at his son, his expression one of absolute horror as he struggled to speak. “Tiny! You're awake! I-uh... Don't be like that! You know you're-”

“NOT a Pop Troll!”, his Tiny Diamond spat angrily as he wiped tears and snot from his face with the back of his small arm. “I've been tryin' to tell ya! I'm a Hip-Hop Troll! I was born rappin' for cryin' out loud! But you've been all in my face, tellin' me that I don't know who or what I am. At least now I know why, you racist son of a bitch!”

“MEEP!”, said Mr. Dinkles in complete agreement as he turned his head 180 degrees in order to give Biggie the dirtiest look Poppy had ever seen.

With those obscene words, the multicolored worm wiggled back and forth until he popped free from the giant troll's arms and squirmed over to Guy Diamond who was staring slack jawed at his son. The toddler glared tearily back before jumping out from the glittery strands of his father's hair, and onto the worm's back. The room remained completely silent as the striped creature went over to the Pop Queen.

“Let's get outta here, Aunt Poppy”, the Tiny said gruffly as he visibly fought back another wave of tears. Turning around, he gave every other troll in the room a look of complete disgust. “I don't wanna be here anymore.”

Letting her own tears fall freely, Poppy knelt down and gently picked up the suffering Trolling in one hand and Mr. Dinkles in the other. She gave each of them a gentle nuzzle before cradling them safely to her chest as she rose to her feet. Giving her friends a deeply disappointed look, she turned to leave but paused as she felt a wave of despair wash over her.

“I wish you guys could hear yourselves, could hear what you're saying. You don't even know them.”

With that, she left them to their uncomfortable silence and went back home to the family who loved her..

OOOO(Barb)

Barb was bored. It wasn't something she'd really experienced before that fateful day when Branch had attacked and raped a baby into her. As Queen and one of the most successful Rockstars that her kingdom had ever known, there had been little time to just sit around. There was always something she had to do, like write new material, music practice, laws to review, parties to attend, or gigs she'd promised to preform at. Just laying around and taking it easy was a strange and foreign concept and not one the normally energetic Punk Rocker especially liked. In fact, she thought that it sucked.

Currently, the Rock Queen was sprawled half on, half off the blindingly pink couch while she tried her best to come up with a few riffs for the song she'd written. While it had originally been intended to be Thrash, the lyrics detailing some of the torture she'd suffered at the hands of her sadistic mate pushed the song firmly into the 'Death Metal' category. The pregnant female wasn't all that surprised given her dark mood and after wearily giving it some thought, decided to leave it the way it was. 

'Anything I write about that psychopath always turns into Death or Black Metal anyway. Why should this one be special?”, she despondently thought to herself. 'Gods, writing the music for Riff's sickeningly-sweet love ballad was child's play compared to this!'

Of course, part of her frustration was the lack of an electric guitar. While she was glad she'd left her beloved instruments at home, given what the asshole had done to her stuff, she needed one in order to help get the music out of her head and onto the blank denim pages that littered the floor. The purple female had never gone so long without being able to play since she was a toddler and it was driving her nuts. Music had always been how the Rock Queen best expressed herself, with her excitement translating into blisteringly fast riffs and her sorrow into heartbreaking rock ballads. Without a guitar, she felt like something vital to her very existence had been stripped away.

A hard kick to the bladder followed by two more in rapid succession jerked Barb out of her morose thoughts. “Hey guys, you need chill out a little bit”, she chuckled as she lovingly rubbed her swollen abdomen. “II don't think your Aunt Poppy's gonna be too happy if you make Mama piss herself all over her hideous couch. Then again, if I did, maybe we could get one that isn't 'eye-gouge pink'.”

As the Trollings continued to move, a weird feeling if ever there was one, Barb did the math in her head and was surprised to find that she was already twenty-three weeks along. “Holy shit”, she whispered to herself in awe.

Knowing that she was pregnant still felt strange to the Rock Queen. While she had always known she'd be expected to marry or mate with a male of her choice in order to produce an heir or two, at barely twenty years old, it had been the farthest thing on her mind. There had been so much she wanted to do, things she wanted to see before she settled down and had kids. Branch had stolen so much from her. It wasn't fair, but life seemed determined to show her that it gave zero fucks when it came to fairness. It'd been a bitter pill to swallow, but since she was the fucking Queen of Hard Rock, she'd swallowed it with a snarl while throwing a double set of horns up in the air.

While Barb tried not to let her situation destroy her more than it already had, there was one facet that scared her half to death. The truth was, she had absolutely no idea how to be a good mom. She'd never even held an infant before, much less attempted to keep one alive. It really seemed like a huge oversight on the Rock Gods' part to make the damn things so fucking fragile. Luckily she had Riff, who had promised to teach her everything she needed to know. Apparently having a billion and one siblings helped make him quite the expert on child care.

The other problem that constantly ripped and tore at her mind was of course, Branch. What he'd done to her in that hellpit he called a bunker was the stuff of nightmares. It wasn't something you could just shrug off and forget. He'd do and say unspeakably cruel things to her, beat and humiliate her, before brutally raping her and leaving her to suffer alone. Anything he could think of was fair game as long as it pleasured and satisfied his sick and twisted soul. The sadist had come so close to breaking her, that even thinking about it caused physical and mental pain. No, her stint in hell was marked indelibly into her very soul, just like the scars he'd carved into her side that spelled out his name.

Barb had half-hope that Branch would lose interest in her once she wasn't the center of his attention, which was something that definitely hadn't happened. The survivalist seemed determined to use her body to pleasure himself almost as much as he'd done when she'd lived with him underground. The only real change was that he couldn't cram hot broken glass inside of her or beat her unconscious now that her friends were there to stop him. While the purple female was sincerely grateful, she still wished that some creature would come along and eat the bastard for her, which would be sick as fuck.

The only escape the Rock Queen had during one of the teal male's little visits was letting her mind drift and imagine it was Riff on top of her instead of the deranged psychopath. It wasn't always easy to do, given how different the two males were in practically every way, but she did what she'd always done and found a way to fucking deal. Afterwards she knew that she would find love and comfort in her boyfriend's arms, which made the horrible experience if not better, than at least something she could force herself to live though

Riff. Barb's thoughts drifted to the drummer who had filled her world with an impossible amount of love and joy. He was everything she could have wanted in a boyfriend. Kind, patient, loving, funny, musically talented and hung like a goddamn stallion, although you'd never know it just by looking at him. While they were well matched, from their musical styles to the level of their sexual libido, the pregnant female felt that he was getting a far shittier deal than he was. It was a belief that Riff had done his best to rid her of, but it still whispered its poison from the dark corners of her mind.

Hearing the front door open, the Rock Queen tried her best to sit up, her bulging abdomen greatly hampering her movements. Cursing up a storm, she finally managed to roll off the couch and get to her feet, only to see Poppy, Riff and Sid huddled together whispering through the partially open double doors of the Pop Queen's office. Annoyed and more than a little scared at being excluded, the pregnant female cleared her throat and glared at the beaming faces that turned as one to look at her.

“You know I can hear you fuckers whispering”, she called out with an assertiveness she couldn't feel. “Care to tell me what the hell's goin' on, or do you want me to fucking guess?”

Continuing to grin their creep-ass grins, the three trolls moved as one, with Poppy clearly hiding something behind her back. While in theory Barb knew that her friends and lover would never hurt her, in reality, any sort of surprise made her nervous as hell, thanks to the torture and anguish she'd been forced to live though. Trying to hide the growing terror building inside her, the pregnant female did her best not to cringe back against the horrible bright pink couch as they stopped within touching distance of her.

“Now Barb, I know how much your music means to you and how it's been super hard not to be able to play anything”, Poppy gushed happily. “Riff also told me how you like to play when you're stressed, which is totally something I can relate to when it comes to scrapbooking. Well, I've been trying to find you an electric guitar and while I haven't had any luck, I was able to get you this!”

With a grand flourish, the Pop Queen whipped out a wooden instrument from behind her back. Barb narrowed her bright pink eyes in confusion at what had looked at first glance to actually BE an electric guitar. However on closer inspection, it was easy to see that it wasn't quite like the ones she was used to. This 'guitar' was thick and hollow, with a hole cut out of the middle of the body instead of having the metal pickups she was used to seeing. Even more strange was the fact that there wasn't a jack to be seen anywhere, nor had Poppy brought out an amp, leading the pregnant female to assume the thing had to be some kind of weird acoustic version of an electric guitar.

At seeing the other queen's hesitation, Poppy's creepy grin widened as she thrust the strange-yet-familiar stringed instrument into the other's hands. “This is an acoustic guitar!”, she announced needlessly. “When you play, the vibrations are sent from the bridge to resonate though the body until it comes out as sound from the hole! Now I know this isn't quite what you're used to, but I figured it would be better than nothing. They're both guitars after all. How different could they possibly be?”

Ignoring the other Rockers' roaring laughter, Barb gingerly sat back down on the couch and ran a reverent hand over the body and neck of the wooden instrument before swiftly tuning it by ear. While the sound was...different than what she was used to, the Rock Queen was willing to withhold judgment until after she'd played it. When she was finished, she took the proffered pick from Poppy and readjusted the thick guitar until she was finally comfortable. Then the purple female slowly ran though a series of pentatonic scales before trying out a series of power chords.

After a few minutes of playing, she stopped and looked down at the instrument with a frown, feeling more than a little disappointed. The music, while tonally the same as what she'd get from her beloved electric guitars, seemed strange and unfamiliar. It served to remind the pregnant female of just how much she'd lost and that even if she were to play her beloved music here, it would be distorted beyond recognition. Much like her life, really. 

Looking back up at Poppy, the Rock Queen was horrified to see that her friend's happy-go-lucky demeanor had fallen away as she watched her with tears in her similarly colored eyes.

“You-you don't like it?”, the pink female asked with a tremble to her voice, suddenly looking more tired and defeated than the other queen had ever seen her.

Giving herself a hard mental slap, Barb quickly reached out and grabbed Poppy's hand. 'Come on dumbass!', she berated herself mentally. 'Poppy must've busted her ass finding me that guitar. Sure, the thing is kinda creep and sounds weird, but it's the thought that counts. She just wants me to be happy. The least I can do is try and return the favor.'

“No no Pink! I love it!”, the purple female said out loud. “I've just never played, or hell, even heard of these things before. I wasn't ready for how different it was gonna sound, that's all. Thanks for getting it for me!” 

Seeing Poppy's radiant smile return was more than enough to banish the gloom that had been following the Rock Queen around since Branch had forced her to fuck him earlier that morning. Feeling much better herself, she grinned wickedly back at her friend. “Now let's see what this baby can really do!”

Standing up, Barb adjusted the strap so that the acoustic rested on her baby bump rather than on top and struck the most awesome rock pose she could think of. Giving another wicked grin as her audience cheered her on, she then indulged in a ridiculously fast noodling session as she tested out what this version of her favorite instrument could, and more importantly, couldn't do. After about fifteen minutes of free-styling, the purple female finally at one with her new gift. Pausing for only a moment, she burst into Dragonforce's 'Through Fire and Flame', which had some of the most awesome guitar work she'd ever heard.

Shredding through riffs with relative ease, the Rock Queen let herself go, not just playing the familiar music, but living it. Unconsciously adjusting her techniques around what the acoustic was capable of, the pregnant female blasted through the song, making her feel more alive than she'd felt in moths. At the end of the song, she slowed things down a notch and slid straight into Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven' solo, playing it with the same amazing skill she'd shown with the first song.

With the twins crowding her lungs and making it hard to breathe, the purple female decided to end her impromptu performance now before she passed out. Going into a wild and joyful solo, she slowly wound things down before ending it with a defiant screaming riff that she allowed to slowly fade away. Panting harshly and completely covered, the Rock Queen struck another pose as her awestruck friends stared at her in amazed disbelief.

“So, what did ya think”, she asked breathlessly while inwardly bouncing around with glee.

“That was fucking brutal!”, shouted Sid, his violet-red eyes practically glowing with excitement. “Gods, you are just fucking amazing!”

Grinning ear to ear, Riff gently took the guitar from his pregnant girlfriend and handed it off to the guitarist before picking her up and twirling around the room. “That's my Rock Goddess!”, he crowed proudly. “Give her any instrument and she'll make you feel like you're rockin' in the middle of Volcano Rock City, or someplace cool like that!”

Slowly coming back to her senses, Poppy watched the others headbang enthusiastically for a few seconds and then joined in the excitement by doing a little jittery dance herself. “Wow Barb!”, she exclaimed with delight. “I didn't even KNOW you could do half of what you did on acoustic. You'll have to show me how you did that.”

Laughing merrily, the Rock Queen made Riff put her back down before strutting over and giving the pink female a friendly slap on the back like she would her own people. “Gods Pink! You really ARE becoming a Pop-Rock Troll! Who would have thought?”

Poppy blushed a bright magenta and glanced over at Sid who was watching her, his violet-red eyes glowing with excitement and lust. “Well, um, I really love Rock's sound! I still love Pop, I mean, how couldn't I? It's just so happy and bubbly! But Rock...it calms me down and makes me happy in ways that my music just can't. Knowing that, why would I choose one, when I can love both?

“There it is”, Barb nodded sagely, reading the multiple layers Poppy had packed into her words. Turning to Riff, she gave him a gentle smile. “Hey man, the chick wants more Rock in her Pop, so let's fucking make her some. How about you go drag your drum kit out here and let's see what we can come up with.”

After slapping her boyfriend on the ass as he hurried by, the pregnant female glanced over at Sid who was still watching the Pop Queen with a hungry expression. Smirking, she cleared her throat loudly until she got his attention. “Hey man, fell like grabbin' some felt sheets and charcoal sticks so we can write this shit down? That is, unless you wanna stop by the bathroom for a little one on one instead.”

The muscular Rocker stiffened and narrowed his eyes in annoyance for a few seconds before he burst out in appreciative laughter. Taking her gentle teasing in the spirit it was meant, he nevertheless flicked her off as he went into Poppy's office to gather the needed supplies. Ignoring Poppy's confused looks, Barb gingerly sat back down on the couch and patted the cushions next to her in invitation.

“When the guys get back, I wanna try something. I've been throwing the term 'Pop-Rock' around, but I don't think it's ever been done before. Know what that fucking means?”

Poppy shook her head, completely spellbound by her friends words, as she cuddled next to the purple female on the couch. Happy to have such an attentive audience, the Rock Queen continued on with a smug smile. “It means we get to create a whole new fucking genre of music! Do you realize just how fucking sick that is? It's not something that just anyone gets to do! It's super hard to find a different enough sound to count as something new and have it actually sound good.”

“Oh my goodness! This could be the solution to our problems!”, the Pop Queen gasped with reverent awe. “If we create new music that's about to fuse both Rock elements with Pop, it could bring our two peoples together! It would change Pop's feelings on Rock Trolls and maybe even make Branch rethink his insane plans!”

Barb looked at her friend, intensely worried and more than a little creeped out. Impulsively, she reached out and grabbed the other female's pink hand. At the Rock Queen's touch, Poppy gave a little jerk and blinked at her as if she was coming out of a trance.

“Hey Pink, you may wanna to reel it in a little”, the pregnant female sighed despondently. “I've seen music do some fucking amazing things, but I think Branch's too far gone for any of this to help. The only thing that'll stop that crazy fucker is if he ends up dying somehow. As for your people, well, let's just focus on creating something that doesn't make our ears bleed first and worry about the other crap later. Sound good?

The purple female sighed inwardly, making sure to maintain her outwardly confident brash persona, while the other queen seemed to crumple in on herself. As much as she hated to extinguish Poppy's joyful enthusiasm, it was better she learned the hard truth now. While the Rock Queen did believe in the power of music, it couldn't change a heart that didn't want to change. Believing that music alone was enough to make everything better was a mistake big enough to get someone killed.

Poppy slowly looked up at Barb, visibly disappointed that her friend hadn't agreed with her, but nodded anyway. “I guess you're right”, she mumbled dejectedly. The pink female continued to look lost in thought while Riff and Sid set up the drum kit until she gave glanced back over and gave a hopeful little smile. “We can still try, right?”

“Sure thing! You wouldn't be you if you didn't wanna try!”, the pregnant female laughed fondly. “Speaking of. Do you have any instruments here you can play?”

The Pop Queen grinned at her fiercely she sprang enthusiastically to her feet. “You bet I do!”, she screeched happily. Reaching into her dark pink hair, the Pop Queen pulled out a small four-stringed instrument. “I have my ukulele!”

Barb looked at the instrument incredulously before shifting her gaze to her friend who began strumming the instrument with total abandon. “That's, um, a little unconventional”, she faltered, desperately trying to think of something positive to say. “But hey, we can make it work. Somehow. What's the point of being an artist if you can't fuck with the status quo, am I right? It's how awesome music is born!”

Leaving Riff to finish setting up, the other three got to work trying to come up with something overtly Pop-like, but with enough Rock to give it a bite. The lyrics seemed to flow between them and were written in a matter of minutes. The music took a bit longer due to what it was, but was finished in under thirty due to just how good the four musicians actually were.

Determined to hear Sid's much lauded singing voice, Barb kept harassing the large Rocker to sing until he finally gave in to shut her up. Riff of course was on drums, but figuring out the guitar parts proved to be more difficult due to Poppy's high-pitched baby-sized guitar-thingy. Finally after some discussion and temporary revisions to the music, the Rock Queen took the more difficult rhythm part while the pink female was on lead.

After finally getting everything figured out, it was time for practice. Sid whispered the lyrics to himself, saving his voice for the actual performance while the others tried to get the music down. The combination of incompatible instruments lent the song an...interesting sound in Barb's opinion, but she could tell that with a full set of electric guitars, it would be amazing. After an hour of practice, both individually and as a group, the makeshift band was ready to give it a go.

The four friends were jittery with excitement as they took their places. Sid nodded to Riff that he was ready, who then smacked his drumsticks together to remind them of the tempo before starting the song. After waiting for the opening hook to finish, the purple male took a deep breath and began to sing.

“Tell me do you think it'd be all right  
If I could just crash here tonight  
You can see I'm in no shape for flyin'  
And anyway I've got no place to go

And you know it might not be that bad  
You were the best I'd ever had  
If I hadn't blown the whole thing years ago  
I might not be alone

Tomorrow we can fly around this town  
And let the enforcer chase us around  
The past is gone but something might be found  
To take its place... Hey jealousy”

As they continued to play, Barb had to resist the incredibly strong urge to slug the tall Rocker in the arm for hiding such talent. 'Fucker's been holdin' out on me', she growled mentally in annoyance.

His deep rich voice was amazingly versatile and with a little training, would be absolutely killer. If fact, she couldn't wait to teach him the proper way to preform death growls so she could finally have some good unclean vocals on her next album. If she was ever to release another one that is.

After a few more minutes of playing, the song was finally over, causing the Rock Queen's annoyance to vanished like smoke on the wind. She eagerly joined in the celebration of their success with fist-bumps, devil's horns, hearty cheers, and enough hugs to satisfy even Poppy. Gazing around at her happy family caused Barb to break out in another smile. Music, especially music shared with friends and family, always gave her a bigger high than any street drug ever could. Just looking at the glowing faces around her showed that her friends were in complete agreement.

“Wow! That was so incredible!”, Poppy laughed excitedly as she slid her ukulele back into her hair and slumped to the floor. “Now all we need is some electric guitars for everyone to play and this sound will be outstanding!”

Thrilled to find her thoughts echoed by her pink friend, the Rock Queen placed the acoustic on the drum kits' stool and went to sit down, only to be swept off her feet by Riff. Plopping his butt down on the couch, the sweat covered gray male placed her firmly on his lap and then proceeded to cover her purple neck in kisses. Giggling, the pregnant female made a token effort to escape to save face before leaning back and fully enjoying his attentions. 

'Hey guys', Barb silently prayed to the Gods of Rock. 'I dunno what I did to make you guys so happy with me, but thanks. I'm gonna enjoy every minute with him until that sadistic bastard drags me back down into hell. Just promise to keep everyone safe for me when I'm gone, 'kay?'

“If it's easier, I normally play bass”, Sid drawled, jolting the Rock Queen back to reality. “In fact, I'm pretty fucking amazin'. I'm only on rhythm for Barb right now because Pantara got his hand fucked in the war and he's still workin' on getting his dexterity back.

“Yeah, you're okay I guess”, Barb joked as she stuck out her tongue at the muscular male to take any potential sting out of her words. At his amused, slightly scandalized look, she decided to amend her statement. “Okay asshole, you ARE amazing. Don't let it go to your head.”

“Damn straight”, he chuckled back.

Suddenly inspired by Riff's romantic gesture, Sid swept Poppy off the floor and into his arms. Snuggling her close, he sat so close to Riff that the four trolls were practically sitting on each other and leaned in, enjoying the closeness. 

Barb sighed in contentment herself. If there was one thing she absolutely loved about being a Rock Troll, well other than their kick-ass music of course, was their rockpiles. Enjoying the physical and emotional presence of your friends, family, and fans was so comforting and was such a bonding experience, that the Rock Queen frankly couldn't understand why the other tribes looked down on them for it instead of trying it out themselves. 

'Maybe if they could stop fucking hating us for a few goddamn minutes and enjoy a good 'pile, they'd be able to finally pull out the sticks they got shoved up their assholes', the pregnant female thought to herself drowsily as she nestled her face against her boyfriend's gray 'Aerosmith' t-shirt and closed her eyes.

The small family continued to cuddle together in silence, each leaning against each other in a pile of pure bliss. Feeling Poppy nuzzle her face, the tired Rock Queen opened her bright pink eyes and gazed affectionately at her friend. Truthfully, she was more than a little surprised at how well the other queen had fit right in with her kind. She'd been a little skeptical at first, fearing that the pink female would demand some of the severe behavioral changes that the sick sadist had forced on her. Instead, the Pop Queen had worked hard to accommodate them and made them feel loved and welcomed.

The three Rock Trolls had tried their best to return the favor. Sid in particular had busted ass, staying up for hours after Poppy'd gone to bed and going over those stupid law books again or reading up on Pop Troll cooking and customs. Afterwards, he'd give them a crash course on what he'd learned, telling them what they needed to do in order to show the pink female their love and respect. Thankfully it was mostly easy stuff like not having surprise jam sessions in the middle of the night, keeping horseplay down to a minimum, and remembering that food fights weren't something Pop Trolls particularly liked. The rest was just common decency stuff that she'd do for any troll that let her crash at their home.

Just as Barb, feeling warm and safe, started to drift off, the babies decided it was time to wake up. She jerked against Riff's chest as the Trollings began kicking her ribs and bladder, her movement jostling the other three trolls out of their light doze. The purple female blushed when her friends gave her looks of concern and gave a sheepish shrug.

“Sorry guys. The kids woke up and figured now as a great time to practice their moshing skills on my fucking ribs.”

The Rock Queen felt her anxiety build to panic levels as her friends stared at her blankly, half asleep. The black mood that had plagued the pregnant female returned with a vengeance as she was filled with fear and self loathing. Before her world tour, she'd never been afraid of her friends or worry about what they'd do to her if she'd upset them. Back then she had been strong-willed, reckless, and without fear; a Rock Troll worthy of the name Queen of Hard Rock. But that was in the past and no matter how much she wanted it to, things were never going to be that way again. 

'Just another thing I'm gonna have to learn to deal with', she realized dejectedly. 

Although it only took her friends a few moments for the information to sink it, it felt like an eternity. Barb closed her eyes in relief as they laughed and ran loving hands down her arms and face while her lover played with her hair. Opening them languidly, she gazed over at Poppy who had her hand hovering over her belly.

“Can-can I feel?”, the pink female hesitantly asked, her body practically vibrating from excitement.

“Yeah, yeah. If it makes you guys happy, you can feel the little bastards all you want”, sighed Barb good-naturedly as she lazily waved her hand. “Just let me know you wanna before you jump me in the shower or whatever.”

The four trolls gently put their hands on her swollen abdomen in the hopes of feeling the growing Trollings' movements. The twins were still at first but then kicked up a storm, making her friends smile in wonderment and awe. Feeling the happiest she'd ever felt in her life, the Rock Queen grabbed Riff's free hand and beamed at him when he looked up and gave her a goofy grin. 

Despite things having gone horribly wrong and with her facing a future filled with pain and fear, at that moment, Barb wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else for all the world.

OOOO (Barb)

Later that night, Sid outdid himself once again, making a meal that wouldn't have been out of place at one of the royal dinners that King Thrash used to hold. While the tall Rocker had never disappointed when he cooked for her or the army of trolls that helped put on their gigs, he had obviously pulled out all the stops in order to impress Poppy. While Barb wasn't sure if the other female realized just what lengths the tall Rocker was going to in order to woo her, she did know for a fact that the other queen was very impressed.

Feeling full and contented, the four friends were lying around the main living area, writing music for their attempt at making a new genre. Thanks to everyone pitching in, they'd actually managed to get Poppy's long list of royal duties done in time for her to help. With Riff's secretarial skills and Sid's newfound knowledge of Pop law, they'd helped eliminate most of the things that made paperwork so fucking arduous and boring. Barb was particularly proud at how good she'd gotten at forging the Pop Queen's name, happily sewing her friend's signature on the documents that the pink female had already approved. 

While Poppy still worried what her people would do if they found out she had Rock Trolls assisting her, the pregnant female couldn't have given less of a shit if she'd tried. The bastards were doing their best to work their queen into an early grave and if it took a felony here or there to give her friend a break, then that was what she'd do. Hell, Barb was more than willing to do all the fucking paperwork herself if Poppy hadn't put a stop to that the first time she'd tried.

Languidly laying across the couch cushions, the Rock Queen called out various lyrical suggestions to Poppy who sat on the floor next to her head. Meanwhile, Sid was plucking away on the acoustic, pausing now and then to write down guitar riffs and other bits of music with a stick of charcoal on the felt sheets he'd gotten out earlier. Riff occasionally added his own suggestions as he sat at the drums, gently tapping out different sets of beats as he looked over the music the other male had given him. As they worked together, the pregnant female reveled in the new closeness.

Leaning over, Barb gently nuzzled Poppy's hair, delighting in her friend's natural sweet bubblegum scent. Losing herself in the rush of endorphins, she accidentally bumped into the Pop Queen's bandaged ear, causing the pink female to let out a strangled scream of pain. In a flash, the two males knelt beside her as Barb struggled to sit up. Jerking away, Poppy turned her head and cupped her ear protectively, completely avoiding the worried gazes of her friends.

“You okay Sweet-stuff?”, Sid frowned as he gently reached out as if to check on the wound. 

With a sad tormented cry that cut down to the bone, the Pop Queen leapt to her feet and stumbled as far away from the Rock Trolls as she could get and still be in the same room.

“It's been almost six weeks Pink”, Barb informed her suspiciously. “You shouldn't still be hurtin' that fucking bad. Believe me, I should know.”

Giving her friends a strange look full of fear, Poppy laughed nervously and shrugged. “I don't know what you're talking about! I was just, uh, startled? I guess? My ear's fine. It's just taking a bit longer to heal. Probably from...all of the stress?”

Barb snorted in disbelief. It was painfully obvious that their friend was lying to them, but the real questions was why. Something must've happened the day she'd come home, something the pink female hadn't told them. While the purple female wasn't sure what that was, she knew it had to be pretty fucking bad, because Poppy keeping secrets always turned out bad. Looking over at the other Rockers, she knew from their deeply worried expressions that they'd reached the same conclusion she had.

Keeping his hands spread in front of him in a calming gesture, Sid slowly walked over to his terrified girlfriend. “Poppy sweetie? Ya know how your secrets have a bad habit of tryin' to kill you? Well, I think this one's gonna finally succeed if you try and keep it to yourself.”

Without warning, the Pop Queen crumpled to the ground, sobbing hard as she covered her eyes with her hands. Startled, Barb and Riff started to go to her but stopped when the guitarist held out a hand and motioned them to stay were they were. 

“I-I just don't want you guys to hate me”, the pink female cried out in a small weak voice, sounding like a Trolling who'd lost her family at a rock concert.

Looking as if his heart would break, Sid scrambled over to Poppy on his hands and knees before laying a gentle hand on her back.. When she didn't flinch away, he gently pulled her into his lap and nuzzled her hair, making sure to keep clear of her injury.

“There's nothing you can do that'd make me hate you”, he crooned softly as he started grooming her dark pink hair, a very intimate gesture that was only done among the closest of friends and family. “You should know that by now.”

Sensing that the couple needed some space, Barb grabbed Riff's hand and guided them to the couch. As they sat, the drummer gave her a questioning look which she answered with a slow shake of her purple head. There was telling how long they were going to be, it was gonna take however long it took. But Poppy had given her time when she needed it and waiting quietly while it was her turn was the least she could do. Fortunately for their sanity, it only took a few more minutes of intense grooming and possessive nuzzling from Sid before the pink female calmed down enough to speak.

“I-I'm sorry guys”, Poppy whispered softly as she played with the frayed him of her boyfriend's black jeans. “I don't usually fall apart like this. It's just-”

“Everything's been fucking shitty”, the Rock Queen interrupted. She glared defiantly back at Sid who gave her a dark stare over Poppy's pink topknot. “What? She gave me that speech last time and now it's my turn!”

“Yeah. That”, the pink female agreed listlessly before continuing. “It started with trying to keep Branch's plans secret so he wouldn't, you know. Kill you and everyone else I love. I thought it would heal on it's own, but well...”

Poppy trailed off uncertainly before reaching up and slowly untaping the bandages from her ear before pulling off the dressing. Only through sheer force of will and the fact that she'd dealt with worse kept Barb from vomiting or crying out in horror. 

Her sweet loving friend was missing half her ear, mirroring her own disfigurement almost down to the millimeter. There was no question who had done this to her, even if the pregnant female didn't already know. There was only one monster capable of that level of mental and physical torture and his name was Branch. The evil fucker hadn't just decided to maim her fiend in order to punish the rebellious female, he'd also done it to send a message to her as well.

She could hear him whispering his venomous words into her damaged ear as if he were physically standing by her side. “Now look at what you've made me do, you worthless pile of shit. Because you couldn't learn to behave and stay where you belonged, I had to rip and tear Poppy apart in your stead. Some kind of friend you are. But then, what can you expect from a Rock whore whose only worth lies in the hole between her legs.” 

Mentally giving her head a hard shake, Barb tried desperately to banish the voices in her head, voices that whispered and laughed and taunted and maimed and cut. The many versions of Branch that laughed sadistically as they fed on her pain, fear, and guilt before being banished into the depths of her subconscious once more. Opening her pink eyes, she looked around breathing heavily, only to find to her shock that almost no time had passed at all. What had felt like an eternity of fighting to preserve what sanity she had left had only lasted maybe a second, if even that.

“WHAT THE FUCKING HELL?!”, roared Sid as he crushed Poppy protectively to his chest. “I'M GONNA KILL HIM! I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL THAT SON OF A BITCH!”

Barb and Riff looked at each other in alarm as they jumped off the couch and ran over to their friends. If there was one thing the pregnant female know about her friend, it was that he never made idle threats. They needed to calm him down and they needed to do it now. They hadn't even made it halfway when Sid snarled at them viciously, causing them to freeze and stand as still as they could. A male Rock Troll protecting his loved ones wasn't something a wise troll blindly fucked with. Instincts ran close to the surface in her clan, which meant friend or foe, the purple male would attack them if they didn't heed his warning.

“H-hey man, you got to keep it together”, Riff called out anxiously. He started to inch forward but reconsidered when he caught the look on the guitarist's face. “We can't go after him right now, remember? A-and besides, Poppy needs out help and stuff.”

The minutes seemed to tick by like hours as Sid curled around Poppy and he did his best to comfort her. The much smaller pink female seemed to crave his touch as much as he craved hers, happy and calm in his tight protective embrace. Once again, the other couple was forced to wait, something that they were very happy to do. Finally the guitarist looked up and sighed before gesturing for them to come closer.

The pregnant female hurried over and sank down on the plush carpet in front of Sid with a grateful sigh, happy to be off her swollen feet. Leaning in close, she got her first real look at Poppy's wound and sucked in a harsh breath at what she saw.

It was obvious that Poppy had tried to treat the gory injury as best she could, but it hadn't been enough to stop it from going bad. The smell was simply horrific, making Barb wonder how the bandages has been able to contain it. The edges of the skin had started to turn black and puss lay thickly across the parts of the ear that hadn't managed to scab over. While it hadn't gone septic yet, but it was well on its way there.

“Hey Pink? You're not gonna like this, but I really think you need to see a doctor about-”, the Rock Queen began hesitantly before Poppy cut her off.

“NO! I-I don't know if Dr. Moonbloom is in league with Branch or if her nurses are! And what are we going to do if they think one of you guys did this? It's not like I can say that I bumped my ear falling out of bed or something. You can see the teeth marks! I can't risk putting you guys in danger!”

“Pop-”, Sid began before she cut him off as well. 

“No Sid. I told you that I'm not going. You'll have to carry me there kicking and screaming. If you can put your life at risk to save me, I can do the same for you.”

The three Rock Trolls looked at each other helplessly. It was a classic catch-22 situation. If they respected Poppy's wishes, there was a good chance that it would wind up killing her. If they dragged her over to the Pop Troll doctor, they'd probably end up being attacked by a mob who'd have no problem killing them all. Even though the Pop Queen had put them in a situation that sucked ass, Barb had to admire the other female's determination and grit. The chick was fucking metal as hell.

“Hey Sid”, Riff called out hesitantly. “I think I can help. I still have a year to go, but I know enough stuff to fix this.”

Barb held her breath as the guitarist looked at her boyfriend with hard frantic eyes before finally giving him a nod. Having his permission, Riff squatted down on his haunches so he could look Poppy directly in her pink eyes.

“Hey Poppy, I know you're scared and stuff, but I think I can help maybe. You see, I've been going to collage, don' a double major in music theory and medicine so I can become a registered nurse and medic. I've still got more things to lean, but I should know enough to fix your ear if it hasn't gotten too bad.”

The Pop Queen perked up at that and gave the lanky gray male a look of pure gratitude. “You can?”, she breathed reverently. “Can you do it right now?”

The drummer hesitated for a moment and then stood up. “Yeah, probably. I'm gonna need a needle, some thread, something to debride off all the gnarly bits, boiling water to sterilize everything, and some antibiotics. Pills are best, but I can use cream if that's all we've got. Oh, and something to help with the pain. This is gonna hurt like a bitch.”

Now that they had a workable plan, the small family went out to make it happen. While Poppy put on a large pot of water to boil, the Rock Trolls scoured the pod, looking for the things they'd need. Packages of sterile bandages, gauze, and tape went into a basket just as the water began to boil. They carefully slid in several needles, silk thread, swatches of rouch cloth, and tiny razor sharp crafting into the pot, to be boiled for the next twenty minutes.

They left the pink female in the kitchen to keep an eye on things while the three Rockers covered her bed in a thick clean waterproof tarp they'd found in a storage cabinet. At Riff's insistence, they brought in all the loose glow-stones that there was in the pod until the bedroom glowed as brightly as if it were bathed in the noon-day sun. After placing the bandaging supplies on the small table, the makeshift surgical suite was finished.

With more than ten minutes left, the friends ransacked their home once again in a desperate attempt to find as much medication as they could. A huge tub of Branch's antibiotic salve was placed next to the large bottle of painkillers that Poppy had been given aboard the Arenbee along with a few packets of powder that claimed to reduce swelling. Frowning, Riff picked up the bottle and grimaced at what he'd read.

“Hey guys? I don't think these are gonna be strong enough when I work on her”, he warned them. “It's gonna hurt, I mean really really hurt and I need her to stay as still as she can. Oh man, if only I had-”

The drummer broke off with a cry of excitement as he whipped off his stocking cap and stuck it in his pocket. Sid and Barb traded confused looks when he then started rummaging inside his wild black hair before he pulled out a small red-tinted bottle that seemed strangely familiar. 

“Hey, isn't that my percocet?”, she asked suspiciously as she realized where she'd seen it before. 

Percocet was a very strong opioid that was amazing at taking away pain. The Rock Queen had been given the medication by her doctors right after she'd been discharged from the hospital, but had to transition to something weaker as a precaution due to her people's genetic penchant for addiction. The last she'd seen of the few remaining pills had been when she'd given them to Riff to return to the pharmacy. 

“Yeah”, confirmed the drummer as he carefully added the glass bottle to the others. “I'd been meaning to return them, but after, um, all that's happened, I totally forgot. Good thing too. Poppy's really gonna need the few that's left.”

“It's not gonna hurt her, right?”, Sid asked worriedly as he glanced in the direction of the kitchen where the pink female was singing softly to herself. “You know, since she's not a Rock Troll and all.”

After giving it some thought, Riff thankfully shook his head. “I don't think so. Pop and Rock are pretty closely related, especially since we can have kids together and stuff. It should be fine. I mean, I plan to keep a close eye on her anyway.”

Barb watched the muscular Rocker give her boyfriend a relieved fist-bump as they left to go get Poppy and the rest of the supplies. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she sat cross-legged on the bed and covered her lap with a soft clean towel. While they'd do their best to drug the Pop Queen until she was out of her mind, they didn't have a safe way of knocking her out. It would be up to her and Sid to keep the pink female still while Riff worked his magic and saved her life. Things were about to get pretty gnarly, but with how their life was right now, it was actually pretty low on the 'suck' scale.

“-still looks bad after a couple of days, you need to promise to go see the doctor”, Riff was saying as the three trolls walked into the bright pink room. “I love you Poppy, but that's the only way I'm gonna do this. I won't loose one of my best friends 'cause I promised to do something I couldn't”

“I promise Riff”, the Pop Queen agreed tiredly as she climbed up on the bed and crawled over to the purple female. “I'm sorry to put you though this, but I'm just...so afraid. Of Branch, of how things will turn out, of what will happen to the trolls I love. I'm so tired of being afraid.”

“I'll fucking second that”, Barb agreed as she quickly braided her friend's loose hair before putting it up in a bun to get it out of the way.

Giving Sid a grateful smile, Poppy popped the handful of medication he gave her into her mouth and swallowed them all in one go with a large glass of water. Once she'd finished, the pink female laid down on the Rock Queen's lap and snuggled up against her large baby bump, which caused one of the twins to lash out and kick her in the head.

“Hello to you too, you little cuties!”, the Pop Queen laughed as Barb beamed down at the little ones growing inside of her with pride. “Sorry if I bothered you two. It's just that I could really use your Mama right now and I was hoping we could share for a little bit. What do you say?”

Surprisingly, Poppy's voice seemed to have a calming effect on the twins. Barb felt them give another soft kick before rolling over and going back to sleep. The two females grinned at each other, both enjoying the intimate moment while Riff swiftly cleaned the side of Poppy's head and lower ear with antimicrobial soap. 

After a few minutes had passed, he looked into the Pop Queen's eyes and smiled at what he saw. “How are you feeling?”, he inquired kindly with a silly grin.

“Isss oookkaaayy?”, Poppy giggled as the combination of pain medication kicked in. “Feeel grreaatt!” 

Riff giggled at the amused Rock Trolls while Sid sat down on the other side of his girlfriend. Holding her arms in one hand, the tall male held her ribcage down gently with the other, his fear he felt for Poppy showing clearly on his face. The drummer finished getting everything set up and washed his hands before he went to work.

Going slowly, the gray male wiped off the puss before trimming away the hardened bits of necrotic skin and cartilage with the scalpel sharp craft knives. Once he'd finished, he gently debrided the wound with the course cloth, taking away even more dead material. The horrific stench slowly faded while he worked, until only the pungent smell of disinfectant was left. After more than an hour, her ear was finally clean, with only healthy tissue remaining. 

Much to Barb's disgust, Poppy had been right. Just like her own ear, it was pretty fucking easy to see that she'd had the organ bitten off by another troll. The pegnant female had no fucking idea how they were going to explain that one, but that was a problem for another day. Right now, all that mattered was keeping their friend safe and helping her to recover.

The Rock Queen had continued to cuddle and kiss her suffering friend, who despite begin drugged to hell, was obviously in significant pain. While the other queen tried to stay as still as she could, it had taken all of Barb's and Sid's strength to keep her from throwing herself off the bed while Riff worked. Currently he was stitching the gaping wound shut the best he could with what little there was left to work with. It was hard going and took almost another hour before he gently placed his blood covered tools back into the tray, which he took with him when he left to go clean up.

As Sid murmured words of love and comfort to Poppy, Barb did her best to tune them out, trying to give her friends at least the illusion of privacy. She hadn't seen the giant purple male so head-over-heels in love since before The-Bitch-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named publicly shamed him before ripping out his metaphorical heart and crushing it beneath her heel. She'd never have guessed that the chick who would help her friend put the pieces back together would be the fucking Queen of the Pop Trolls. Pop and Rock? No one would have taken that bet, not with all the hate going around. But then again, it WAS Poppy after all. The two complemented each other well, bringing out each other's strengths, while having each other's backs when it came to their weaknesses. It was so cute, it was sickening.

“Kinda like me and Riff”, she whispered with a blush as the drummer came back into the room.

Thankfully the next part was easy. While Sid and Barb held the pink female's hands, Riff slathered the wound in the antibiotic cream before carefully layering bandages and gauze until the area was completely dressed and securely taped down. Carefully handing the loop Pop Queen her hand mirror, the lanky gray male encouraged her to look at what he'd done.

“Heeeyyy!”, giggled Poppy, her face bright with joy. “I look like Barb! I like looking like Barb. She's so pretty and cool and nice and she's my friend. My Barb shaped friend. Barb shaped friends are the best!”

The three Rock Trolls laughed hard, almost giddy with relief. Sid pulled Poppy into his arms and covered her in kisses while Riff did the same to her, coming together in an unintentional rockpile like they had earlier that morning. The pink female's drugged declarations of love and the closeness of their bodies was just what they all needed after narrowly escaping yet another disaster. No matter what they did, it seemed like the hits just kept on coming, but they'd find some way to make it thought as long as they were together.

'If the Rock Gods wanna thrust us into the flames in order to see what we're made of, than I say, 'Bring it on bitches!'', Barb thought proudly.

“Can I have earrings too?”, Poppy slurred unexpectedly as she started rubbing against Sid's chest, much to the guitarist's delight. “Then we can be ear twins! Wouldn't that be fanta-, uh, fan-, COOL!”

Everyone chuckled again while Barb shook her head in amusement. “Ask me when you're not fuckin' stoned and I'll see what I can do”, she grinned, happy to know that the other queen held her in such high regard.

Poppy pouted, still completely out of it due to the high levels of opioids in her system. After she saw that the Rock Queen wasn't going to relent, she turned back around to face Sid and then stuck her hand down the front of his black jeans. The guitarist gave a choked gasp, his violet-red eyes widening comically before gently grabbing his girlfriend's arm.

“Sweet-stuff, please let go”, he begged, his normally deep voice almost an octave higher than normal.

Tilting her head to the side, the Pop Queen's face fell, all traces of her bubbly cheeriness completely gone. “B-but, I thought guys like this”, she whispered in a small uncertain voice. “Does that mean you don't wanna have fun with me?”

Sid took a deep shuddering breath which he slowly let out, his whole body quivering, before he answered. “Of course I fucking do. It's takin' everything I got not to fuck you right here and now. But baby, even a horndog like me can see you're not ready and I wouldn't want our first time happenin' because you're hopped up on pills anyway. You're too important to me for that.”

Poppy looked at the tall Rocker searchingly, looking deep into his eyes to see if he was telling the truth. He met her gaze with such openness that it made the other two Rock Trolls blush and look away. Finally the pink female pulled her hand out of her boyfriend's pants and slumped tiredly in his arms, clearly done for the night.

“Okay, let's get the hell to bed!”, Barb announced, taking control of the situation as she slid off the bed and tried to get some feeling back into her numb legs. “We'll finish cleanup tomorrow. Everyone on my bed for a nice slumber 'pile. It's been one fucking bitch of a day, and I know I'll sleep better if everyone's nearby.”

Riff looked disappointed for a moment but quickly agreed when he saw just how tired and worn out everyone was both physically and mentally. Sid gently picked Poppy up when it became clear that she was in no shape to walk and then laid her on his broad shoulder like a small Trolling. As they walked across the pod to where the Rock Troll's bedrooms were located, the drummer kept looking over at the guitarist and giggling. 

“What?”, he sighed wearily, sounding like he already knew the answer.

“Dude! Your girlfriend had you by the nuts!”, the smaller male laughed hysterically.

Sid didn't even have time to open his mouth before Barb punched her boyfriend hard in the shoulder. Squawking in surprise, Riff danced away and gave her an amused grin. With a twin shake of their heads, the two old friends looked at each other and shared a gentle smile.

“Thanks”, the guitarist rumbled happily as he gently laid the small pink female on the bed and climbed in beside her.

“Don't mention it”, the Rock Queen sighed contentedly back.

OOOO


	12. Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After disaster after disaster, things start looking up for Poppy and her beloved Rock Family. Enemies turn to friends and two lovers finally come together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Consensual Sex, Coerced Sex, Cursing, Violence, Working Through Emotional Trauma
> 
> Please Note: The way Poppy starts to heal from the trauma that was inflicted by Branch may be different from the way YOU as an individual may heal from such a trauma. There is no one right way to heal or process this sort of thing. I'm trying to show two different methods here. Barb is compartmentalizing Branch's abuse. She doesn't equate it to consensual sex, so she has no problem having sex with Riff. Poppy's experiences and emotions are in a throbbing painful knot. She's been slowly trying to pick at it so it unravels and she can heal. 
> 
> Author's notes:
> 
> Don't worry everyone. Barb and the other Rock Trolls aren't making the switch to pop-rock any time soon. Barb's passion is hard rock, punk, heavy metal and thrash. She's excited to create a whole new genre, especially one that Poppy can really embrace. She's used to writing and play all types of music that live under the umbrella of Rock 'n' Roll, from folk rock all the way to black metal in order to satisfy the musical cravings of her people. Just for the record, my Sid Fret prefers heavy metal in all of it's forms while Riff adore all his people's music as long as it has a good beat.
> 
> In case anyone was wondering, Riff never took any of Barb's leftover medication. In my headcannon, he has a brother that got addicted to opioids after a nasty pyrotechnics accident who he helped to get clean. He knows that's some things you just don't mess with, especially when addiction is so common thanks to Rock Troll genetics.
> 
> Here's a something that might be fun to know. I have a chart that helps me remember which trolls curse, how often, what they say and why they say it. Riff only curses when he's really angry. It's not that he has anything against cursing, he just doesn't. Barb curses more and loves the word fuck. Her dad was the same way and she got it from him. Sid curses like a sailor.
> 
> Speaking of which, I also have a chart that tells me what my version of the trolls will and won't say. For example, Riff only curses when he's really upset. He doesn't have anything against cursing, he just doesn't. Barb curses more and loves to use the word fuck. Her dad was the same way, which is where she got the habit from. Sid curses like a sailor. He considers curse words a part of everyday vocabulary and doesn't mean anything negative when he uses them. The only time he doesn't cuss, or when he cuts back is when he's scared or unhappy. Scared Sid doesn't curse.

Sunshine upon my face  
A new song for me to sing  
Tell the world how I feel inside  
Even though it might cost me everything

Now that I know this, so beyond, I can't hold this  
I can never turn my back away  
Now that I've seen you  
I can never look away

I feel so alive for the very first time  
I can't deny you  
I feel so alive  
I feel so alive for the very first time  
And I think I can fly

~Alive (P.O.D)

OOOO(Poppy)

Poppy grit her teeth as she staggered hard, only staying upright though sheer force of will. She didn't even need to risk glancing backwards to know that Riff was watching her anxiously, torn between wanting to help and knowing just what could happen if he did. No matter how bad off she was after a day of back to back emergencies, verbal abuse, and never ending requests for her help, the Pop Queen couldn't risk looking weak. Not when Branch's followers were watching her from the darkness, looking to spread more vicious rumors and hate in a bid to aid the teal male in orchestrating her fall.

Trying to force her leaden eyes to stay open, she still managed to fall asleep between each stride, the next footfall jostling her back awake. As the village slowly passed by in an indistinct blur, the pink female found herself idly wondering what time it was. She knew it had been around midnight the last time she'd check, but that had to have been at least a few hours ago. Glancing up at the moon to gauge its position in the sky, the Pop Queen distantly felt herself lose her balance and would have fallen if the drummer hadn't been right behind her.

“I'm so sorry Your Majesty!”, Riff whimpered just loudly enough for their invisible escorts to hear the suitably cowed and fearful tone in his voice. “I-I didn't mean to get in your way. Please forgive me.”

Poppy shuddered in revulsion, fighting down the urge to vomit at her beloved friend's self depreciating words. While she hated having to continue to pretend that her Rock family were her docile pets with a virulent passion, it was still one of the only ways they'd found that could keep them safe. While it also had the added of effect of severely undermining Branch's claims of how dangerous and deadly Rock Trolls were, it still didn't do much to ease her guilt.

The Pop Queen only allowed herself a few moments of comfort in Riff's large calloused hands for the before forcing herself upright and gently pushing the drummer away. Swaying dizzily, she imperiously waved away his apology before continuing her slow journey, the world fading in and out as she walked. Wearily closing her eyes for a few seconds, the pink female was confused to find herself suddenly standing right outside their pod when the next time she opened them.. Peering suspiciously over her shoulder at the gray lanky male who only stared back blankly, she went to knock on the door and missed. 

Tiredly resigning herself to fate, Poppy let herself fall, only to be caught in a pair of loving purple arms. Her heart pounding wildly, she looked up into Sid's handsome worried face as he angrily said something to Riff, his words refusing to register in her exhausted brain. There was a pause before the smaller male said something back, then suddenly she was being crushed protectively against her boyfriend's chest as he carried her inside. 

Feeling dizzy and sick to her stomach, the pink female closed her eyes as the guitarist lovingly nuzzled her face. “You can't keep doin' this to yourself, baby”, she heard him sigh, the sound hazy and indistinct, almost like trying to hear him from underwater.

Poppy tried to answer, to reassure the purple male that she was fine, but found trying to form the thoughts into words was just too hard. Tiredly, she gave him a gentle kiss to the lips when he dipped his head back down, one which he eagerly returned. The sudden abrupt change in lighting made her turn her head and saw to her astonishment that they were already in her bedroom with Riff pulling back her comforter and moving all the stuffed animals off her bed.

Gently laying her on the bed, Sid gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead, whispering something indistinct before abrupt turning around and leaving, dragging the worried drummer out of the room with him. The Pop Queen watched their departure in confusion, trying in vain to figure out what was going on when a sudden movement brought her sluggish thoughts to a halt. 

“Okay sleepyhead, let's get you ready for bed”, Barb whispered kindly from the semi-darkness, making Poppy startle badly. “Whoa there Pink! Can't have you fucking fallin' on your head!”

The pink female tried to force her bleary eyes to focus as her friend carefully steadied her shaking form and pushed her back from the edge of the fluffy mattress. After weaving back and forth for a few seconds, the Rock Queen's face finally came into view as she leaned in close. Suspiciously narrowing her bright pink eyes, the pregnant female quietly examined the other queen's exhausted form before letting out an annoyed huff of breath.

“Damn, Sid's right. Those bastards really ARE tryin' to kill you. My people never did this kind of shit to me, not even after my fucked up mistake of a war. We gotta do something, but fuck me if I know what. Gods, I hate this place.”

Poppy gave her a vague smile as leaned forward with open arms, not really understanding what Barb was trying to tell her, but feeling the love and concern behind them. Giving a tired sigh and a regretful shake of her purple head, the Rock Queen caught the pink female in a surprisingly strong grip before she tumbled off the bed for a second and returned the hug.

“Right. Time for introspection later”, Barb murmured to herself before addressing the Pop Queen directly. “Now, normally I'd suggest takin' a shower first but with the way you're acting, you'd probably end up fucking drowning on us. So let's skip that for now an' get your pjs on.”

Grinning at the offended look the Pop Queen shot her, Barb reached up and unpinned the crown from her head, placing it on its stand on the small table next to the bed before pulling out the sparkly scrunchy and letting the thick mass of pink hair fall free. Closing her eyes wearily, Poppy let her friend undress and then redress her, helping when she found the energy to. 

Much to her surprise and delight, the pregnant female was exceedingly gentle and patient, allowing Poppy to take as much time as she needed while giving tender words of love and encouragement. The pink female had never associated anything soft with the hot blooded queen before she'd come to live with her, leaving her feeling both deeply grateful that she'd gotten the chance to become so close to the redhead and guilty for just how that chance came to be.

Barb had just started brushing the Pop Queen's long tangled windblown hair when Sid came back with a large steaming mug in his hand. Quickly crossing the room in just a few strides of his long legs, the guitarist tried to hand it the pink female, only to have her shake her head and try to push it away. Glaring at his girlfriend with an annoyed vexed expression, he shook his head slowly and squatted down until he was eye level with the pink female

“Sorry Sweetstuff, but I'm gonna need you to drink this”, the tall Rocker told her sternly, still trying to press the cup into her hand. “You look like you're only a step away from an early grave. Knowin' you, you probably haven't eaten anything since breakfast, an' with how hard you're workin', you can't get by on just one meal and not have it come back an' bite you on the ass.” 

Blushing guiltily, Poppy gently took the earthenware mug from Sid's hand and pressed it to her lips. She realized just how hungry she'd been at the first taste of the rich meaty broth, the delicious and complex flavors causing her to perk up enough to eat. Her boyfriend lovingly rubbed her back as she drank greedily, almost choking several times in the process, the liquid both soothing and filling the hollow ache in her stomach that her body had given up registering many hours before.

All the while Barb continued to brush, her deft purple fingers gently undoing the snarls and knots as she worked. The three trolls sat in comfortable silence until both broth and hair were finally done. After a quick drink of water to rinse out her mouth, her friends let her fall backwards onto the soft pillows as the last of the pink female's energy reserves were used up. The last thing the Pop Queen remembered was Sid giving her a sweet kiss on the lips before Barb turned off the glow-stones, plunging the room into darkness.

OOOO(Poppy)

Poppy stretched lazily as she woke to melodic birdsong from outside her window. For the first time in what felt like forever, she felt alert, refreshed, and ready to face the day. Eagerly opening her pink eyes, she smiled brightly at the beautiful late mid-morning sun shown through the leaves, making beautiful moving patterns of shadow and light on her bedspread before feeling a jot of pure terror.

“Fuck! I must have overslept!”

Lunging for the hug-time bracelet on her nightstand, the Pop Queen was horrified when she saw that was late for her royal duties by over six hours. There was no way that Smidge hadn't come looking for her by now and the fact that she'd had a full night's sleep could only mean that Sid or one of her other friends had prevented her enforcer from dragging her out of bed. With a deep sense of dread, the pink female held her breath as she swiveled her ears back and forth, desperate to hear any kind of sound from her family. From Barb and Sid's singing, Riff's constant tapping of drum beats, and the happy laughter and chatter between them, the Rock Trolls were always far from silent. 

For a few chilling seconds, the pod was eerily devoid of sound before Smidge's voice broke the silence, coming from somewhere inside of their home. Poppy cried out in fear and dismay as she valiantly tried get out from the entangling blankets, only to fall off the bed and land with a thump on the floor. Thrashing violently, the Pop Queen finally managed to kick herself free and crawled across the carpet on hand and knees in her haste to reach her door. Pulling herself to her feet using the quartz knob, she threw it open, fearing the worst.

To her complete and utter amazement, she found her family sat miserably huddled together on the couch watching Smidge as she sat at the dining table going though a massive amount of paperwork. Not knowing if they were hurt or needed help, the pink female flat out ran to the Rock Trolls, causing everyone's attention to be focused on her.

“Good morning Poppy!”, the small yellow female called out as she put down her needle and thread. “ hope you're feeling better now that you've gotten a little sleep!” She exuberantly stabbed a finger at Sid, which almost caused the guitarist to fall of the couch. “The big guy told me about what happened last night. Wouldn't even let me come in unless I promised to leave you the hell alone. I have to admit that I was impressed! It takes a massive set of balls to stand up to me twice, especially since I almost put him in the hospital last time.”

Poppy paused in visual inspection of her friends health to give the other Pop Troll a stiff uncomfortable nod,. Despite being well trained for her position, the pink female honestly had no idea what her enforcer expected her to say. 'Thanks for not beating the crap out of my family' was accurate but combative and 'Get the hell out of my pod, bitch' even more so. After thinking it over, the Pop Queen opted for the third option of silence as she gave Sid and the others comforting hugs.

“I didn't touch them, I swear”, Smidge informed her with such misery that the pink female looked at the troll behind her in surprise.

Sliding off the hard felted chair, the enforcer walked over to the group looking more ashamed than the pink female had ever seen her. “I-I wanted to apologize to you and your friends”, she continued as tears started to roll down her yellow cheeks. “I'm not trying to excuse anything, but it was just so much easier to hate the Rock Trolls after what they did to us during the String War than try and see them as trolls like me. So when Branch started talkin' about how they were just dangerous stupid animals, well, he had me hook, line, and sinker.

Then the big guy risked his life to protect you! From me! I was so confused when you came by my pod later that day., but what you said got me thinkin', especially when Tiny left with you. That's when I started seein' all the stuff that I'd just ignored before. Like how the Rock guys would block shit that people threw at you with their own bodies, or how kind Queen Barb was to everyone, even after Branch forced her to submit to those sick bastards who molested her. It isn't right, I can see that now. Yeah, they fucked up, but they tried their best to make everything right. It's way past time for us to fucking forgive them and move on.”

Barb hesitantly raised her hand, but still flinched violently when she got the small Pop Troll's attention. “I'm, uh, really sorry about that, man. The whole 'World Tour' thing was the worst fucking mistake I've ever made in my life. If I could take everything back, I totally fucking would.”

Smidge looked at the Rock Queen in shock for a moment before giving her a genuinely kind smile. “Oh, that's okay. I forgive you. Honestly, if it'd been me, I would have done way WAY worse than anything you did. The trick is to have any possible dissenters beaten so badly that they can barely breathe, then take a sharp blade and slice...”

The yellow female trailed off when she noticed the horrified looks that Poppy and the Rock Trolls were giving her before giving them a sheepish grin and a shrug. “What I meant to say was that I've been a complete and utter bitch. If it's alright with everyone, I'd like to start over and get to know everyone for who they really are instead of the monsters I've made them out to be.”

Spreading her arms wide, the enforcer started moving towards the couch with a too-wide demented looking smile. “Group hug!”, she screamed aggressively.

Riff took one look at her and bared his teeth aggressively as he pulled Barb onto his lap and curled his arms protectively around her body and across her large baby bump. The purple female cried out in surprise and alarm but didn't fight against her boyfriend's hold as she watched the small troll's approach with gut wrenching terror. At almost the same time, Sid shot to his feet and slid in front of the vulnerable couple, shielding them with his body, shaking hands clenched and his black hair spiky and wild.

Knowing an impending disaster when she saw one, Poppy quickly sprinted over and gave Smidge a hug instead. “Um, I think we're going to have to work our way up to that”, she told the deep-voiced female anxiously. “You know. Because of last time.”

The enforcer looked at the Pop Queen in surprise before looking away and rubbing the back of her neck. “Yeah, about that. Look big guy-”

“Sid Fret”, growled Poppy, suddenly angry and annoyed. “His name is Sid Fret.”

There was a heartbeat of uncomfortable silence before the other Pop Troll continued. “Yeah, Sid Fret”, she acknowledged awkwardly. “I'm sorry that I attacked you. I'm not gonna offer an excuse, 'cause there really isn't one. I was being a racist bitch and I admit that. Could you ever forgive me?”

Sid gave the tiny female a flat hostile stare, his entire posture radiating rage and a kind of nervous fear. Smidge started to look more and more defeated as the silence dragged on until the guitarist suddenly held out his closed fist. Confused, she looked over at Poppy who mimed putting two fists together and then raised her eyebrows. Finally understanding, the enforcer walked over and gently gave the large male the fist bump he'd been waiting for.

“I forgive you, dude”, the guitarist said slowly, obviously picking his words with great care. “We all do dumb shit sometimes, an' it takes a real troll to admit it. But I wanna make one thing clear. If you attack me or mine again, I'll fucking take you down, even if it kills me. We cool?”

“Yeah, we're cool”, Smidge smiled as she gave him a nod of respect. “That's actually what I was hoping you'd say. You wouldn't deserve Poppy if all you did was stand around and let bad things happen to her. She really needs someone like you in her life, especially right now.”

Poppy's mouth suddenly went dry as she fought down a surge of raw panic. “Um, yeah”, she giggled nervously. “He's a really good friend like that! It's so wonderful to have friends like Sid, because that's what we are. Friends!”

Rolling her aqua colored eyes, the deep-voiced Pop Troll gave her friend a knowing smile before glancing over at an equally nervous Sid. “Riiiight”, she drawled, the single word loaded with meaning. She paused for a moment, a deep thoughtful look on her face before looking back up at the muscular Rock Troll. 

“Hey big- er, Sid Fret. Word has it that you're an amazing cook. Do you mind whipping us up something to eat? If I'm this hungry, Poppy must be starving!”

The large Rocker flicked his violet-red gaze over to his girlfriend and waited until she gave him a slight nod before answering. “Yeah man, no problem”, he told Smidge cautiously while throwing up a set of horns. “It's after lunchtime anyway. Did ya want me to make you somethin' special, Swe- uhhhh, Queen Poppy?”

Flushing a deep violet, Sid ran a hand through his wild explosion of fluffy black hair as he suddenly decided that the glow-stone chandelier that hung from the roof was the most interesting thing in existence. Poppy giggled nervously, fervently hoping that her enforcer hadn't noticed her boyfriend's slip up.

“That's sweet of you to ask Sid, but what I really want is some of the amazing vegetable curry you made last night if there's any left”, she told him as she started to move the chairs from the dining table over to the couch, only to have Riff take over for her.

“Sure thing”, the guitarist called over his shoulder as he all but ran into the kitchen.

Smidge shook her head in disappointment as as she looked up at the Pop Queen and sighed. “Come on Poppy, you two are gonna have to do a lot better than THAT! Don't worry about me though. I promise I won't tell. The Pop God knows I've already caused you guys enough pain and suffering as it is.”

“Thank you”, Poppy said quietly, but sincerely as she squatted down and hugged the other female close. “You don't know how much this means to me.”

As they continued to hug, something suddenly occurred to the enforcer. Pulling away, she glanced towards the kitchen and then back over to Poppy. “I thought Rock Trolls couldn't digest most vegetables? Why'd he make something that he couldn't eat?”

“Oh, they can't”, Poppy confirmed as she continued getting the room ready for lunch. “But Sid didn't make it for them, he made it special for me.”

Smidge's eyes widened as she gazed back toward the kitchen, carefully digesting what her friend had told her before turning and watching Riff settle back down on the couch. Pulling Barb's head to his chest, the lanky gray male nuzzled and kissed her bright red hair while the pregnant female trembled violently in his arms. The drummer's heart-breakingly tender and loving expression changed instantly to one of wariness and distrust when he caught the small Pop Troll watching them. Averting her gaze, the enforcer hopped up on the pink felted chairs and sat silent, lost in her own thoughts, until lunch was ready.

OOOO(Poppy)

Lunch had gone even better than Poppy could have hoped. When Sid had handed out the heaping bowls of delicious curry to the two Pop Trolls, Smidge had thanked him politely and had waited until the guitarist had passed out huge sliced meat sandwiches to the Rock Trolls and sat down before taking a bite herself. While her family had been understandably subdued, they'd still made an effort to be friendly. True, the conversation had been rather stilted at first, but things had really gotten going when the enforcer recounted her disastrous attempt at sneaking into Volcano Rock City during the war, only to be captured before she got anywhere near the concert.

After their meal, Smidge had happily went back to work, tearing though massive stacks of time-sensitive documents and official international correspondents filled six massive boxes that sat clustered around the table. As she sat sorting, the small female had reluctantly informed the Pop Queen that her other royal assistants had been dumping the paperwork in unused pods out of spite for months. When the enforcer had found out earlier that day, she'd violently shown them the error of their ways before making them pack everything up while she cleared Poppy's schedule.

Once everything was ready to go, Smidge had carried the massive load to her pod by herself to inform the Pop Queen about what had happened, only to be waylaid once again by Sid. The enforcer admitted that's when she'd finally saw the Rock Trolls in a new light. Although he was clearly terrified, the tall Rocker had still held her ground, violet-red eyes blazing defiantly as he informed her that Poppy had passed out from exhaustion not two hours before and that if she still wanted to wake her, she'd have to go through him.

Smiling lovingly at Sid, Poppy gently ghosted her had along his muscular arm as she sat at the heavily loaded dining table. Plucking a random envelop from atop of the pile closest to her, she was dismayed to find that it was official letter from Techno Reef, postmarked several weeks prior. Taking a silver letter opener from her dark pink hair, the pink female quickly popped open the sticky wax seal and read it with a sinking heart and a sharp stab of agony to her gut.

King Trollex was absolutely furious that the Nation of Pop had bred and captured the 'war criminal' Barb when Poppy had argued so passionately against any of the other kingdoms doing just that during the negotiations after the String War. The rest of the document was short and to the point. Either she send the Rock Queen over to be bred by him after she'd laid her egg in order to keep the balance between the kingdoms or he'd come and get the both of them.

Knowing what the contents of the letter would do to Barb's already horrifically damaged mind and soul, Poppy quickly folded the letter and slid it into the pocket of Sid's studded black leather pants. While she hated to be even more of a burden on her boyfriend, this wasn't something she could or even should handle by herself. Normally the Pop Queen would have brought such a diplomatic nightmare to the council, but seeing as they were all now devotees of Branch, was now a really bad idea.

The guitarist glanced down but didn't say anything when he saw the look on Poppy's face. She mouthed the word 'later' with a slight head tilt toward the pregnant female and waited as his eyes brightened as he understood her message. Which a grateful smile, the Pop Queen turned back toward the leaning stack of mail, her mood instantly souring when she realized just how many of them could contain other unreasonably cruel and horrible demands. Quickly turning to the Rock Trolls who were carefully sorting through the boxes of documents, she announced that since she had Smidge as her helper, they should feel free to do what they wanted instead.

“You sure, Pink?”, Barb had asked her, watching the dangerously tall stacks of felt and paper lean drunkenly over over to the side. “'Cause it looks to me like your fucking paperwork is tryin' to find a more direct way to kill you.”

It had taken Poppy several minutes to reassure them that she'd be fine before the Rock Trolls reluctantly left her alone. Sid had casually announced that he intended to do a deep cleaning of the kitchen while Riff followed Barb back over to the couch, determined not to leave her alone. The lanky gray male pulled out a set of drumsticks along with sheets of denim and charcoal sticks from his hair and began drumming rhythmic patterns on his leg, pausing ever so often to write something down or looking cautiously over at Smidge. The Rock Queen meanwhile pulled out a tiny sleeper along with some embroidery supplies from a basket she kept next to the couch and continued stitching the thrash metal group Slayer's band logo on the front.

As the hours passed by, the Pop Queen managed to whittle through the massive piles of documents and mail thanks to extensive help from Smidge. They first separated everything in neat stacks that ranged from 'Urgent' to 'Garbage' and then went from there. It turned out that all of the leaders had written her and most weren't all too happy with what Branch had done. 

To Poppy's dismay, Delta Dawn was just as angry as King Trollex and had demanded that she turn over Barb immediately, while Queen Essence was just worried as international tensions were beginning to rise. Zydeco, the temporary head of state for the Kingdom of Hard Rock had sent letter after letter, begging the Pop Queen for any information on Barb and her child's health and well being so that he'd have something he could tell their worried and heartbroken people. However it was Conductor Trollzart's missive that caused the plush fur on her body to stand up in alarm. The beautifully embroidered cloth letter only contained one world: 'Vorsichtig'.

Vowing to find out what it meant later, the pink female stuffed the letter inside her hair before she started stitching her replies on the bright sparkly pink felt that was only used for official documents. After finishing the far easier letters to Queen Essence in both an official and unofficial capacity, she wrote a largely edited version of Barb's stay to send to Zydeco. While she knew that word of the purple female's torture had to have reached the Rock Trolls by now, she didn't feel the need to further upset them with the graphic details. She confirmed that she was keeping their Queen as safe as she could and would continue to do so for the rest of the foreseeable future. 

Hoping that it was enough, the Pop Queen turned to sewing the letters to the Techno and Country leaders. Being as deliberately vague as possible, she informed them that Branch's taking of Barb hadn't been sanctioned by the Nation of Pop and that she'd be happy to discuss it with them at the next royal summit that was to be held in two months. The pink female knew that it wouldn't sooth any of the leaders' tempers, but hoped that it would at least buy them more time while they tried to find a way out of the nightmare that was now their reality.

Stretching her tired and sore muscles, Poppy looked out the window and was astonished to see how low the sun had gotten in the sky. Mentally calling it a day, she stood up and stretched, listening to her back pop and wiggling her fingers to get the circulation flowing again. Smidge, realizing that the Pop Queen was done, happily shoved a stack of finished documents into one of the empty boxes and pranced triumphantly over to the couch. The pink female froze in worry when Riff growled low in his throat at the the enforcer's approach but relaxed when Barb laid a hand on his arm and shook her head.

Smidge fearlessly jumped up onto the couch next to the Rock Queen and stood watching the pregnant female as she sewed an incomprehensible looking logo onto the back of another baby outfit. “Ooooo! What's that?”, the yellow female asked curiously as she jabbed a finger at the half-finished design.

“What's with you Pop Trolls and embroidery stitches?”, Barb laughed nervously as she gave the much smaller female a tentative smile. “That's, us, a palestrina stitch. It's used to help give the piece some texture. You kinda need them when you're workin' with the emblems of black metal bands or you'd never be able to figure out what the fucking thing said. It's kinda annoying, but I really love these guys.”

“Really?!”, the enforcer screamed excitedly, genuinely interested. “Please, you just gotta show me!”

“Yeah, sure thing, man”, the pregnant female shuddered as she shank back against Riff's side in response to the other's aggressive tone. “But I”m, uh, I'm gonna have to teach you a few other things first. This one's k-kinda tricky.”

Poppy kept a close eye on the situation at first as she took out some scrapbooking supplies from her office to start on some projects she'd been meaning to do. But as time passed, she saw that she really didn't need to do much of anything. When Smidge realized just how badly she was terrifying the two Rock Trolls, the yellow female made an obvious effort to tone down her violent exuberance to the point where even Riff started to calm down and relax. The four trolls were chatting and laughing as Sid started dinner when Branch decided to arrive unannounced. 

Slamming the front door open with enough force to put a sizable dent into the wall, the teal male glared coldly at the group before folding his arms. “What the fuck is this?”, he growled dangerously, motioning to the three trolls sitting on the couch with a jerk of his chin. “Smidge, I know you have a thing for animals, but don't you have anything better to do?”

The enforcer stared up at Branch in horrified bemusement, at a complete loss for words. As the survivalist stalked closer, impatiently waiting for an answer, his face grew darker until he was practically shaking with rage. Barb looked wild-eyed at the stunned yellow female and then back at Branch. Licking her lips nervously, the pregnant female tried to speak up several times before she could get her voice to work.

“Sh-she j-just wanted to l-learn a few st-stitches, that's all”, she babbled fearfully, her words almost incoherent. “P-p-please don't be mad at her. It w-was just a f-few stitches.”

Before anyone could react, Branch viciously backhanded the pregnant female across the face with enough force to knock her off the couch. Crying out in pain and despair, she would have hit the floor if Riff hadn't been right there to catch her. Poppy screamed in horror just as Sid furiously stormed out of the kitchen. The large Rocker started to bare his teeth in challenge, but stopped when the Pop Queen, desperate to stop a bloodbath before it started, motioned for him to stay where he was.

“DID I GIVE MY WHORE PERMISSION TO SPEAK!”, Branch screamed, his spittle hitting Barb in the face as Riff held her close in his arms.

“You stay the hell away from her, you sick bastard!”, the drummer roared back, not intimidated in the least. “How can you hurt Barb like that? She's carrying your kids for fuck's sake!”

Sid nodded angrily and folded his arms. “Fucker thinks he's a big male, beatin' and hurtin' pregnant females and everyone else he's got power over. Truth is, he's just a sad pathetic little bitch throwin' a tantrum 'cause he ain't getting' what he wants.”

The survivalist snapped his head around at the guitarist's words, his expression one of murderous rage before strangely morphing into one of mocking disdain. Glancing over at Smidge who still stood frozen in horror and disbelief before looking back at the muscular Rocker and giving him an oily smile. “Perhaps. But I'm still legally well within my rights to discipline my mate as I still fit.”

“The hell you are!”, snarled Poppy as she ran to the couple on the couch. In an act of bravery that even surprised herself, the Pop Queen slammed herself into Branch's chest, making the much larger and much heavier male stumble back far enough so she could insert her body between him and her friends. “You will treat Barb and my other guests with basic common decency or I swear I'll fucking exile you from not only from Pop Village, but from my entire nation!”

The teal male stared at her in slackjawed disbelief for a heartbeat before he doubled over, laughing hysterically. “Oh Poppy, I'd really love to see you try!”, he weezed breathlessly. “Sweetheart, I don't think you get it. I'm the hero of this story. I'm the one risking my life everyday to keep my people safe from danger while you-”

Suddenly the laughter was gone and Branch stared at her with a burning self righteous fire in his eyes that made the pink female involuntarily flinch away. “Well, you're the demented little Trolling who invited it inside.”

“No one believes that. Not anymore!”, she snapped back, refusing to be intimidated by her former lover.

“Sure, some don't”, the survivalist conceded with a shrug of his broad shoulders before giving a predatory grin. “But the smart ones do. Right Smidge?”

The enforcer looked between her two friends with nervous indecision while wringing her hands in distress. “I, uh”, she hesitated before looking up at the male Pop Troll. “I dunno Branch. I've been here all day and the Rock Trolls just seem like nice guys to me. A little different maybe, but they don't seem dangerous.”

“So our Queen's good at training animals. Big deal”, he snapped back, waving a dismissive hand in the air. “It doesn't change the fact that the thousands of other Rock Trolls out there are vicious monsters just biding their time until they can attack us again.”

Turning around, Smidge looked directly at Barb and Riff who were still huddled together on the couch. The side of the pregnant female's face had already begun to bruise a deep mulberry while the eye Branch had hit had swollen shut. She watched the survivalist the best she could with an expression of abject terror while gasping for air, almost like she'd forgotten how to breathe. The drummer had her buried in his strong arms, his wild black hair bristling while he growled low in his chest, his whole demeanor promising violence and pain to anyone who came too close.

Gaze hardening, the deep-voiced female clenched her hands into fists as she faced Branch once more. “You're wrong Branch”, she said firmly, drawing every eye in the room. “These guys? They're good PEOPLE and I'd be willing to bet everything I own that most of the others are too. You're always gonna have the occasional jerk, but then, you should already have personal knowledge of that fact.”

The mask that the survivalist wore slipped, just a little, but it was more than enough to let the monster peer though. Smidge's sharp intake of breath sounded strangled as she unintentionally took a step back. For a split second, Poppy was sure there was going to be blood, but then just as quickly as it had appeared, the monster was gone.

“Whatever”, Branch scoffed with an annoyed roll of his blue eyes.

Turning, he moved as if to walk toward the door, but lunged forward at Poppy instead, slamming his palms into her chest with such force to lift her off of her feet. As the pink female hit the side of the couch, the survivalist took advantage of the distraction and grabbed Barb by her mohawk and viciously ripped her free from Riff's grasp. Strands of bright red hair flew through the air as he then proceeded to drag the Rock Queen to the bedroom. 

Sid, who'd been impatiently holding himself back, flew across the room snarling in rage just as Riff used the couch to launch himself at the teal male. Seeing the Rock males move, Branch paused, smiling victoriously. Sliding one hand into his vest, he stood watching as they closed the distance in between them.

“NO!”, Poppy screamed hysterically, knowing deep in her heart that she was already far too late.

Reacting faster than she'd seen any troll move in her life, Smidge grabbed the drummer's wrist in a steely grip, making the Rock Troll fall on his face. As Sid ran past, the yellow female did the same to him, jerking the much larger troll to a halt. The guitarist looked down in furious surprise at being stopped but stilled with the Pop Troll shook her head.

“No Smidge, let them go!”, Branch laughed as he slid whatever he'd been holding back inside his vest and jerked the sobbing Rock Queen to her feet. “You can be my witness at how those two freaks attacked me for trying to mate with my female like I'm legally entitled to. Nothing would give me more pleasure than watching those two THINGS being put down like the animals they are.”

“The elders would have never sanctioned your abuse”, Poppy seethed furiously. “The only reason the laws are so vague is because no one could've seen just how sick and twisted trolls like you could get.”

“Ahh! But we don't know that, now do we?”, the male Pop Troll gloated back, his voice thick with condescension. “All we have to go on is what was written and a council who's already told you multiple times that what happens in a family unit is not to be infringed upon by the state.

Hey, that reminds me. Didn't they give you some sort of warning the last time you tried to get between me and my whore? Something about finding a responsible mate that can help lead a silly woolly-headed little bitch like you back to the straight and narrow? Why if that were to happen, you'd lose your pets, your freedom, and your position all in one go! No wouldn't THAT be a shame.”

The Pop Queen felt cold as the world seemed to fall away. “H-how do y-you-”

“Know that?”, Branch asked innocently. “My dear sweet stupid Poppy. Didn't you know? I AM the council. Now, are we done here?”

Poppy shot a look of pure hatred at her former friend before looking over at Barb. The pregnant female stared pleadingly back, her pink eyes filled with fear and despair as she silently begged her friend to let her go. Jerking her head to the side, the pink female let her whole body slump in defeat.

“That's what I thought”, the survivalist laughed dismissively. “Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go fuck my bitch.”

Dragging the Rock Queen behind him, the purple female had just enough time to mouth 'I love you' to Riff and her family before Branch jerked her inside the room and slammed the door behind them.

Riff screamed furiously as Smidge allowed the two makes to jerk free from her grasp. Radiating fury like a stove radiated heat, the Rock Trolls stormed into the kitchen, with the drummer continuing on through and out the back door. The slamming of pots and pans along with the sound of someone furiously beating dust out of a rug clued the Pop Queen in on just what they were doing to get out their anger and frustration.

However, as loud as they were, it still wasn't enough to completely cover the sounds of violence and sex coming from behind the closed door. Muffled sounds of slaps and Barb's cries of pain seemed to echo throughout the pod, each sound slicing deep into Poppy's already bleeding soul. Gritting her teeth against the raw emotional agony of failing her beloved friend yet again, she turned to find Smidge staring at the occupied bedroom with white hot fury.

“Oh. My. God”, she sputtered. “That fucking little asshole! I'll punch so many of that motherfucker's teeth down his goddamned throat that he'll be drinking soup for the next six months!”

The Pop Queen couldn't help but laugh as the mental picture while she shook head with regret. “I'm right there with you, but as long the council is on his side and he doesn't kill Barb or the babies, there isn't much I can do. He's just too powerful.”

“But Poppy! Listen to what he's doing to her!”, her enforcer protested as Branch's groans of pleasure began to overpower the Rock Queen's sobs of despair. “There's gotta be some way we can get her away from that fucking psycho!”

Suddenly feeling as if she were being crushed under the weight of the world itself, the pink female bonelessly slumped down on the couch and covered her face with her hands as she began to cry. “I'm trying Smidge, I'm trying:, she wept brokenly. “It's just Branch...he's not just a few steps ahead of me, he's almost at the finish line. But I-I promise I'll figure this...figure this out somehow. I have to. I just love them all so much.”

The sound of breaking glass caused both females to startle badly as Sid cried out in pain, then followed it up with an impressive bout of cursing. Poppy had just gotten to her feet when the purple male came out of the kitchen with his hand wrapped in a blood soaked tea towel. Stopping in front of his girlfriend, the muscular male looked down at her and blushed.

“Um, you know the fancy glass vase that was in the kitchen window? Well I, uh, it may have exploded when I accidentally hit it with my fist. I'm really fucking sorry about that.”

Just looking at the tall Rocker's slumped shoulders and crestfallen expression made the Pop Queen's heart melt with love and affection. Being mindful not to jostle his hand, she wrapped her arms around him the best she could and gave him a fierce hug. “Don't worry about it”, she reassured him while burying her face in his chest. “I'm sure it had it coming.”

Completely forgetting about their guest, Sid leaned his head down and lovingly nuzzled the pink female's head. Smidge watched the loving couple with a growing smile while they took comfort and strength from the physical contact. Unable to contain herself any longer, the smaller female launched herself at the two trolls and hugged them tightly.

Jerking in surprise, they looked down at the enforcer in horror while the yellow female craned her head up and gave them a huge smile. “It's okay guys! I already promised not to tell! Besides, unlike Poppy here, I know how to keep a secret. If anybody finds out about you two, it won't be from me!”

Poppy and Sid exchanged nervous glances before smiling and shrugging their shoulders. Crouching down, the two taller trolls held out their hands to Smidge who rushed into their embrace in a proper group hug. They stayed that way for a few moments before letting go.

“Thanks again Smidge, that means a lot to us”, the Pop Queen said gratefully as she gently prodded her boyfriend until he sat down on the couch. “It's just too dangerous for the others to know about us right now, but hopefully it won't stay that way forever.”

Turning her attention to Sid, she carefully opened the towel only to quickly wrap it tightly around his hand after she'd gotten a good look inside. It was bad, really bad. The guitarist had several deep gashes in his hand and wrist that were still bleeding heavily despite the makeshift bandage and would probably need stitches to close. After her brush with disaster with her ear, the pink female knew that what she needed was a professional.

“That fucking bad, huh?”, he asked calmly with a raised eyebrow. “Figures. Well, at least it's not my fretting hand.”

Poppy gave him a swat on the shoulder for the inappropriate joke as she shook her head and stood up. “I think I'm going to need Riff to take a look at this. I'm fairly certain you're going to need stitches and I don't trust my skills enough to risk sewing you up. Not if you ever want to hold a pick again.”

Groaning dramatically, the large Rock Troll flopped against the back of the couch. “Fuck me. He's gonna be pissed.”

He wasn't wrong. The drummer had looked thoroughly ticked off when Poppy had gone outside and explained what had happened. Wordlessly, he examined the deep gashes in his friend's hand with more force than he strictly needed to before reapplying the makeshift bandage. After tersely announcing that the purple male would indeed need stitches, he'd had the Pop Queen keep the pressure on the wound as he boiled the needed supplies in continued silence.

No longer having any painkillers other than the ones from the Funk Trolls, Sid was forced to endure with procedure with just a few of the weak pills in his system. He nevertheless took it like the badass he was, barely even moving as Riff started to suture the torn muscle and skin back together.

“You promised me you'd stop doing shit like this, man”, the drummer growled, his words short and clipped.

“I was pissed!”

“Yeah well, dude, you were pissed the last time too and how'd that turn out for you?”

Sid glanced over at Poppy where she stood back out of the way, then back at Riff who looked very imposing as continued to deftly stitch the wound. “Badly?”, he asked hesitantly, not wanting to antagonize his friend while he was stabbing him with sharp objects.

“Yeah. And this time?”

“Sighing heavily, the guitarist slumped further down the couch, being careful not to jostle his injured arm. “Yeah, yeah. I fucking get it. It's just-”, he sighed as he paused and gestured with his good hand. “I wanna protect the girls an' I wanna get the fuck outta here, but there's not a damned thing I can do. Everything fucking sucks.”

Echoing the weary sigh back, Riff tied off the last thread then clipped it short with a pair of tiny scissors. “I know, man, I know”, he muttered softly. The smaller male looked away dejectedly for a moment before his face brightened and gave his friend a huge grin. “But it's always kinda fun being able to lecture you and stuff for doin' dumb shit. Normally you're the one yelling at me!”

Sid looked at the lanky gray male in surprise before breaking out in loud friendly laughter. “I know, right? Just don't get fucking used to it!”

“I don't know, man”, the drummer giggled as he helped the other troll up off the couch. “It's not like you ever actually learn anything.”

Smidge watched as the two males continued to joke while Poppy helped clean up the mess from her boyfriend's medical procedure. They yellow Pop Troll seemed entranced as the two Rockers went to give each other fist bumps but stopped just in time to avoid re-injuring Sid's hand. Laughing, they embraced instead before walking into the bathroom to finish washing up.

“They really are just like us”, she said astonished as she looked up at Poppy with wide aqua colored eyes.

“In all the ways that matter”, the Pop Queen agreed with a smile.

Suddenly the door to the bedroom was flung open, hitting the wall with the sound of cracking thunder. The two females jerked back in surprise and fear as Branch came storming out and gave them a triumphant smirk. Not willing to give the teal male the attention he so desperately craved, Poppy wordlessly pushed past him into the darkened room, followed closely by Smidge.

After impatiently waiting for her eyes to adjust to the gloom, Poppy finally was able to make out the small huddled shape almost hidden among the heaps of bedding. Barb was lying motionless with her eyes closed as she tiredly struggled to catch her breath. The Pop Queen tried to move but found herself frozen with horror when she saw the fresh bruises and deep oozing bites that completely covered her friend's body with the obvious exception of her large gravid belly. Hearing the pink females sharp intake of breath, the other queen weakly opened her one good eye as she flushed in shame.

“It's okay”, she whispered hoarsely as she tried unsuccessfully to cover her naked body. “I'll be fine. He didn't hurt the babies.”

As if the terrible spell had been broken, Poppy suddenly found that she could move once again. Throwing herself on the bed with a sob, she quickly covered the pregnant female before moving to the side as Riff and Sid barreled inside. The drummer was by the Rock Queen's side in a flash, wrapping his beloved even further withing the blankets before pulling her on his lap as she started to cry.

Smidge watched heartbroken as the four friends cuddled together, striving to find love and comfort in a world suddenly gone to hell. Turning slowly, the yellow female was unsurpriesed to find Branch watching them, his expression one of delight and sexual excitement as he took in their pain and despair. Feeling a deep kind of disgust and rage, one that didn't blaze so much as it froze and killed all that it touched, the enforcer quickly closed the door in order to block the his view.

Giving a large toothy smile, Smidge slowly walked over to the now fuming survivalist before clasping her hands behind her back. “Branch?”, sh asked sweetly. “Do you know what I do?”

Branch narrowed his blue eyes and watched her warily, much like one would watch a viper that was poised and ready to strike. “You're Poppy's enforcer”, he stated simply.

Grinning even wider, the small Pop Troll gave an enthusiastic nod. “That's right! And do you know what that means exactly?”

“What”, he snapped back, his patience almost gone.

Smidge's whole demeanor changed as she dropped her smile, making the room feel as if the temperature had plunged twenty degrees. “That means I know the best places to hide your goddamned body if you ever, ever, touch Queen Barb like that again. Poppy's hands may be tied, but I assure you, mine aren't. Do I make myself clear?”

For just a moment, the teal male looked genuinely scared before he tossed his head back and laughed derisively. “Is that supped to scare me?”, he sneered. “Pop Trolls don't have what it takes to kill. Not even you.”

A creepy smile appeared on the enforcer's face, one that made her look sick and deranged. “Wanna bet?”

Branch studied the yellow female uneasily for a moment, his normally bright coloration going dull and ashen at what he saw in her eyes. Trying to save face, he whirled around on his heels and stiffly stalked over towards the front door.

“I won't forget this”, he snarled. “You've made a dangerous enemy today.”

Unfazed, Smidge cocked her head to the side and folded her arms across her chest, looking bored and unimpressed. “So have you.”

OOOO(Poppy)

A shiver of pure happiness rippled through Poppy's body as she awoke with a brilliant smile on her face. Today was her birthday and she just knew it was going to be the best one ever. Honestly, she didn't think that she'd feel that way just a few weeks earlier.

As a culture, Pop Trolls never celebrated a troll's birthday on a their actual birthday. Instead friends and family would throw a surprise party weeks, and sometimes even months in advance in order for the party to be a surprise. However with the exception of a few thoughtful gifts from Smidge given a few days earlier, neither her father or the rest of her people had even acknowledged her special day in any way.

When she'd told Sid and the others why she'd been so down a few weeks ago, the trio had exchanged sorrowful glances and had wordlessly given her a group hug. After they'd found out the actual day her birthday was on, her Rock family went straight to work crafting, baking and sewing with an exuberance that surprised even a craft nerd like her. They never allowed the pink female to see what they were up to and when asked, would only smile and shoo her from whichever room they were working in.

Not fooled in the least, Poppy had announced to the Pop Trolls waiting for her morning announcements, that she was taking her birthday off. As the multicolored crowd started murmuring darkly amongst themselves, she'd cheerfully added that if anyone had any problems, they could bring them to Smidge who had happily volunteered to act as her stand-in for the day. All it took was one look at the murderously furious enforcer for all the trolls to agree that it wasn't any problem at all.

Joyous laughter and the sounds of someone noodling on the acoustic rang out merrily from the main living area, alerting the Pop Queen that her friends were already up despite the early hour. Giggling, she slipped out of bed and skipped over to her door, not even pausing to get dressed. Trying to be as quiet as she could, the pink female eased it open and stuck her head out.

To her surprise and delight, the entire pod had been transformed. Crepe paper streamers in black and pink criss-crossed the entire room with enough balloons to cover over any empty spots left over on the ceiling. A large black leather banner hug over the table at just the right angle to make it impossible to read, but just seeing some of the embroidery and paint told of countless hours of painstaking work.

Poppy felt a flutter of excitement when Sid chose that moment to walk out of the kitchen, carefully carrying platters of delicious smelling foods that he struggled to place on the already overburdened table. The feast contained traditional Pop birthday fare along with what she guessed was the Rock Troll equivalents. Each dish looked exemplary, almost as if they'd been plucked from the illustrations from a culinary master's cookbook.

Hearing the experimental riffs start up again, the pink female turned to see Barb sitting amongst even more party supplies that were heaped on the couch. She recognized a few lines of the 'Happy Birthday Song' before the pregnant female switched to playing a haunting rock ballad that she assumed once again was the other tribe's equivalent. The Rock Queen laughed as she called out 'helpful' suggestions to Riff who was standing on his tiptoes on the back of a chair. Stretching up as far as he could, the lanky gray male was carefully trying to hang a string of flags what had been decorated with various Rock and Pop band logos including a pretty emblem that she loved from a black metal group who's music she didn't like nearly as much.

Although she tried to stay quiet, Poppy couldn't help but gasp in amazement at just how much trouble her three friends had gone through to try and make her birthday as special as they could. Twitching her ears at the sound, Barb whipped her head around and stared at the other female in annoyance and exasperation.

“Wait! You're not supposed to see this shit until we're ready!”, she shrieked as she quickly put down the guitar and carefully hefted herself up off the couch. “I may not know a fucking ton about surprise parties, but I do know that much. Get your pink ass back in your room and I'll be right there.”

Giggling, the Pop Queen happily did as she was told. She only had to wait for a minute or two before the purple female joined her, carrying a hanger in one hand that held one of the coolest outfits she'd ever seen and a plain cardboard bod in the other. Grinning wickedly, Barb handed her the clothing and then put her free hand on her hip, keeping the box to herself as she waited to see her friend's reaction.

Poppy looked at the Rock Queen in amazement before reverently running her hands over the hand made garments. At first glance, they almost looked like a replica of the outfit she'd borrowed from the purple female after she'd rescued her over six months and a lifetime ago. Just like the other set, it consisted of a black leather sleeveless top along with a distressed blue denim skirt. However, that was where the similarities ended. All the stitching had been done in the exact shade of dark pink as her hair, while the flaming skull had been replaced with a glittery rose that had an electric guitar rising out of the middle it. Sparkly netting of the same pink overlayed the skirt and added a big splash of Pop flare in the otherwise Rock design.

“Oh my God of Pop, thank you!”, she gushed, her pink eyes sparkling with joy. “It's so beautiful and so me! I can't believe you made me an outfit for my birthday”

Barb laughed in delight at the other queen's reaction before giving her a mock glare. “Hey! I don't make 'outfits', Pink. I make sick costumes for badass motherfuckers to rock out in. I'm just really glad you like it! Took me forever to get all that ruffly shit sewn in properly.”

“Well, I freaking love it!”, Poppy smiled as she carefully hugged the heavily pregnant female. “You're the most amazing friend a troll could ever have.”

“Damn straight!”, Barb exuberantly agreed, leaning into the other's embrace with a sigh of exhausted contentment.

The friends hugged each other for a bit longer before letting each other go. Thrusting the box into the Pop Queen's hands, the purple female gave her a cocky smile. “That's for after you're dressed. I want you to be surprised. I don't normally fuck around with metal all that much, but there's no way my present would be complete without it. Now I'm gonna go and put on my own threads while you get ready. Don't worry about hurrying or anything. I'm fucking big enough now that getting anything done quickly is a pain in the ass.”

Wisely not commenting, Poppy waited until after Barb had left before gently putting the mysterious box down on her bed and then pulling off her pajamas with a zeal she hadn't felt in months. The pink female took her time slipping on the Pop-Rock clothing before digging through her drawers until she found the perfect accessories to go with it. Slipping on the sparkly pink bracelets with matching belt and a pendant made rose quartz, she stepped in front of her mirror to see how she looked.

Poppy gasped at her reflection, taking a few steps back in surprise. The image that stared back was her, yet at the same time it wasn't the person she knew. Gone was the naive, happy-go-lucky Pop Troll that had existed before the start of the war. In its place was one who looked far more careworn and haunted.

Back then, she'd seen the world thorough rose-colored glasses, believing that everything in life should be cupcakes and rainbows and consciously ignoring anything that wasn't. Her world had been one long dull monotone of happy, with one day feeling much like the next. While it had been a sweet carefree existence, it now felt as just as empty as a meal made completely of desserts.

Then came the war. She'd set off with good intentions only to have her entire understanding of life completely and irrevocably destroyed. Finding found out that her people's entire history was based on a vicious lie. Being hunted and raped, only to be saved by the Queen of Hard Rock, the troll who she'd blithely assigned the role of the villain. Then she'd been attacked by an evil version of Branch, only to find out that the two were actually one and the same. Now her Pop Trolls had happily tried to kill and maim her and her Rock family on multiple occasions or supported those who did.

However, despite having her entire life turned upside down and torn to bloody shreds, through sheer force of will and the love and support of her friends, she'd not only managed to live though it, she'd become a better troll in spite of it. There was a kind of strength that shown through her pink eyes and even in how she held herself that had never been there before. She'd been in the deepest pits of despair and had flown on wings of made of pure joy and because of it, now know what was important in life and just what she stood to lose if she didn't work hard to keep it.

Feeling a deep sense of peace, Poppy lovingly stroked her reflection's cheek before bouncing cheerfully over to her dresser. She grabbing her silver plated hairbrush and gently untangled the unavoidable knots that formed while she slept before deciding to leave the thick mass of hair down. Hurrying over to Barb's present, she carefully opened the box and gasped at what she saw.

Reaching inside, she carefully lifted out a crown unlike any she'd ever seen. Graceful pink and black wire twisted, whirled, and diverged around each other, making it look like they were dancing to a melody that only it could hear. Together they formed music notes that spelled out a phrase that when sung wouldn't sound like Pop or Rock, but rather a harmonious mixture of both. Tiny cut gems of pink diamonds and black onyx no bigger than grains of sand covered the notes, making them sparkle and tinkle in stark contrast to the music staff they sat on.

Try as she might, Poppy couldn't think of a way that Barb, even with the help of their friends, could have gotten it done along with the dress in the few weeks she'd known her birth-date. After wrestling with it for a few minutes, the pink female decided to leave it as a mystery for the time being as she reverently placed the crown on her head, making sure to pin it securely to her thick hair. 

After giving the mirror one last glance, the Pop Queen threw open her door and was met with a thunderous, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

The three grinning Rock Trolls had dressed up as well, given what they had. Barb looked absolutely stunning in black denim jeans and an artfully ripped Guns 'N' Roses tee with a studded leather jacked that had her personal royal crest embroidered on the back. The purple female hadn't neglected the finishing touches either, adding fine black glitter to the coal dust she used on the shaved portions of her head as well as the dark makeup she used on her eyes and her nail polish. A choker with a metal guitar pick with the words 'FUCK OFF' engraved on it, bright silver earrings and black leather cuffs with squat silver pyramid studs completed her look.

Riff had forgone his usual beanie, choosing instead to tie back his unruly black hair in a low ponytail which left his expressive blue eyes completely exposed. He'd also chosen to wear jeans along with an Iron Maiden tee, and a blue denim vest that was completely covered in colorful band patches. Somehow he'd found a new set of fingerless gloves to wear as well as a set of dog-tags that hung around his neck, which were engraved with a sigil that the pink female couldn't make out.

Despite how amazing and sexy the other couple looked, it was Sid who held the Pop Queen's attention. The guitarist had chosen to go shirtless, a look that he normally preferred, with a well worn black leather vest which was covered in chains and metal studs. Rather than looking ratty, the lovingly cared for garment gave the muscular Rocker an authentic and dangerous look that she found irresistible. The rest of the outfit wasn't bad wither, with tight leather pants, studded cuffs, red hairband, and carved obsidian thrash-wolf pendant.

Grinning widely, Poppy watched as Sid stalked over, oozing sex appeal with every step. Stopping so close to her body that they touched, he used his good hand to tilt her head up before pulling her into a deep sensuous kiss. The pink female's heart pound wildly in her chest as guitarist's slightly chapped lips pressed lightly against hers at first, but then turned hard and needy as time went on. She could have happily spent the rest of her life in that moment, breathing in his intoxicating musk and drunk on his touch when she felt him pull away.

“Happy birthday”, Sid practically moaned, brushing his lips against hers one more time before letting her go.

“I'm pretty sure you already said that to me”, she teased back breathlessly.

Her boyfriend chuckled, his voice husky and dripping with need. Reaching down, he pulled Poppy back into his arms and held her flush against his toned body. “Did I? Can't seem to fucking remember anything today.”

The pink female felt like her body was on fire as she rubbed her cheek against his chest, causing the guitarist to groan out loud. “Me either”, she gasped as he instinctively thrust against her body, his rapidly hardening member digging into her her stomach. “Maybe you should say it again, just to be safe.”

Sid gave a strangled sound, but before anything else could happen, the couple was interrupted by Riff's giggling. Slumping into her Rocker's embrace, the Pop Queen resignedly glanced over at her grinning friend. She was just in time to see Barb sigh dramatically and click the pick she'd been using at her lover in disgust.

“Now see what you fucking did?”, she growled angrily, showing the tips of her tiny fangs. “Pink was finally on her way to getting some and you just had to be a dick and interrupt them.”

The drummer looked at her horrified as the triangular piece of tortoiseshell bounced off his forehead and hit the floor. “Hey, sorry dudes!”, he fretted anxiously as he gave the other couple a mournful look. “I didn't mean to-”

“It's cool, Riff”, Sid smiled wistfully while Poppy hid her burning face in his chest. “Wasn't plannin' for us to become the fucking entertainment for the party anyway.”

The gray Rock Troll got such a disappointed look on his face that it caused everyone including Poppy, to start laughing, thankfully breaking the awkward atmosphere. Still blushing, the pink female let her boyfriend and the others lead her over to the couch were they'd set up an easel complete with paper and a basket of markers. Her pink eyes widened in delighted surprise when she recognized her favorite party game.

“Charades?”, she squealed as she clapped her hands and shivered excitedly

“Gods, Pink”, Barb grinned with a rueful shake of her head. “Could you be any more adorable? Of course it's fuckin' charades! Riff was up all night writing out the words an' phrases an' stuff.”

The drummer nodded happily and had just thrown her a set of horns when there was a sharp knock on the door. The atmosphere in the room changed instantly from festive to frantic. In days past, a surprise visitor would have sent the old Poppy into fits of joy but now only filled her with dread. While it was common for the Pop Queen to get trolls stopping by to drop off work or deliveries, everyone should have been going to Smidge while she celebrated her birthday.

Feeling very protective, Poppy motioned for her friends to move out of sight before cautiously opening the door and peering outside. To her surprise, the twins Satin and Chenille stood on her doorstep. The female Pop Trolls were a rarity among their kind, conjoined by the hair and having been in an egg so large that their mother had needed surgery to get them out. While both sisters were fashion designers who loved clothing above all else, that's where the similarities ended.

Lavender Chenille was the more outspoken and forward of the two, while pale pink Satin was more friendly and quiet. While the first loved scrapbooking, makeup tutorials, and taking males to her bed, the second loved extreme sports, caring for animals, and was attracted to females. They were an interesting study in contrast and had been some of her best friends before she'd taken Riff under her protection.

Satin looked away from Poppy's shocked gaze, her face filled with guilt and shame which gave her sister the chance to speak first. “Good god, Poppy, what the hell are you wearing?”, the lavender Pop Troll sneered as she curled her lip in disgust. “If I'd known you were that hard up for clothes, I would've made you some. We're still friends after all, even with your new...sick perversion.”

“Chenille!”, squealed her twin in horror. “You promised you'd be nice!”

“Yeah well, I can't just stand by and let those animals dress up our queen like one of them, now can I?”

Ignoring her sister for the time being, Satin looked over at Poppy's bandaged ear and winced. “So, um, how are you feeling? Was Smidge able to find the troll that did this to you?”

Startled, the Pop Queen had raised her hand halfway to her head before she remembered that she'd stopped using her prosthetic. It had only been two days since Riff had practically forced her to see Doctor Moonbloom for a second opinion on how the horrific wound was healing and to get some much needed supplies. She'd been sick with fear when she'd taken off the bandage and had to admit to the older female that she'd been injured far worse than she'd let on. 

The doctor had been absolutely horrified at her disfigurement and had asked all sorts of dangerous questions. The plan had originally been to say that she'd been attacked by an animal one night, but Moonbloom had only narrowed her eyes in disbelief. What the doctor had asked next had completely changed her world as she now knew it.

o-o-o-o(flashback)

“Who's been hurting you?”, Moonbloom asked simply, her voice filled with a sorrow that went soul deep. “We both know this didn't come from any animal.”

Poppy watched the purple Pop Troll with wide horrified eyes as her mind went completely blank. “I-I”, she stammered before miserably looking away. “You wouldn't believe me if I told you.”

“You'd be surprised”, the doctor muttered, more to herself than to her patient before addressing the pink female directly. “I'm not going to go around gossiping, if that's what your worried about sweetheart. I'm bound by my oath as a doctor to keep your medical information private and that's a duty that I take very seriously. Anything you say won't leave this room.”

The Pop Queen found herself desperately wanting to trust the older female, but with her family's lives at stake, she didn't dare. Moonbloom patently waited for her to speak for several more minutes before giving a sigh of defeat. The pink female watched as the doctor sat down at her desk and began to rapidly write notes in charcoal in her chart before stuffing the whole thing in her hair. 

Seeing that her patient was watching her, Moonbloom gave another sigh and walked over to the examination table. “Now I'm going to have to tell them something, or the rumors are going to get out of hand, it they haven't already. Do I have your trust as your doctor to handle things from here?”

The pink female tried her best to think up another cover story but ultimately gave the doctor a scared little nod when she failed. Giving her a kind smile and a pat on the knee, Moonbloom swept over to the exam room door and threw it open, allowing everyone in the waiting room to see inside.

“Our wonderful Queen has been attacked...by a Pop Troll!”, she announced loudly and dramatically to the horrified gasps of all the trolls withing earshot and almost causing Poppy to faint from the sudden surge of fear.

Her nurse, a green male with yellow hair named Synergy, woodenly slid off of his stool and came running over as the doctor tapped her foot impatiently. “Are-are you sure?”, he asked nervously as he tried in vain to see around the older troll. “She does live with those monsters you kn-”

“You doubt my diagnosis!”, Moonbloom gasped in horror, clutching a hand to her chest. “I know that I've only spent fourteen years apprenticing under doctor Thistleheart, god rest his soul, than another twenty-five running this practice, but I-”

“No no! I didn't mean it like that!”, the nurse squawked in distress. “But if it wasn't Rock Trolls, why would you think it was one of us? Couldn't it have been some kind of animal?”

The purple female paused, glancing back at Poppy who was trying her best not to hyperventilate, and gave her a wink before addressing the transfixed crowd. “The shape of the bite-marks and the shape of the teeth are a dead giveaway. No, there can be no mistake. I know it's hard to accept that one of us could be so sick and demented as to attack one of our own, but the facts don't lie!”

The green Pop Troll shrank away from the doctor like she'd gone and slapped him in the face. “Ye-yeah”, he stammered in a strange almost hysterical voice before looking guiltily away. “It w-would take a special kind of c-creep to do something like th-that!”

Moonbloom gave Synergy a flat look as she rattled off the supplies and medication she wanted, then slammed the door in his face when she was through. Massaging her forehead as if she were beginning to get a headache, the doctor walked back over to the Pop Queen and started to gently clean her wound.

“The Rock Troll who worked on this ear has impeccable technique”, she murmured quietly to herself. “I couldn't have done it better myself, especially when you take in to account what little they had to work with.”

Glancing down at her patient with compassion, she addressed the pink female directly in a louder much sterner voice. “I do wish you'd come to me sooner my dear. You'd have saved yourself a lot of pain and worry.”

Poppy grimaced as the older female cleaned a particularly painful spot and tried her best to stay as still as she could. “How'd you-?”, she started to ask before changing her mind. “I-I was worried that you'd think one of my friends did this to me.”

Moonbloom just gave an offended snort in reply when there was a timid knock on the door. Tersely ordering her nurse to come in and leave the supplies on the table next to her, the older female waited until the jittery male had left before turning her attention back to the Pop Queen's wound. Poppy sagged in relief as the doctor began applying a cooling ointment on her ear.

“As if any of those overgrown puppies would do anything to you.”, the purple Pop Troll hugged in an annoyed tone while she washed her hands and began to apply a new bandage. “It's as plain as day that those three adore you.”

“They're not cowards or anything”, Poppy felt the need to add. “They'll protect us if they feel they have to.”

The older female paused in wrapping her ear in new gauze and gave her a vicious smile. “Good. If a troll is deliberately cruel to a member of a wolf pack, he deserves what happens when the rest of them find out. Now, are you ready to tell me what happened?”

“.....”

“That's what I thought”, Moonbloom lamented wryly. “It's what they all say. Well, the good news is that you're healing wonderfully, but I want to put you on a course of antibiotics and immune boosters to be on the safe side. The God of Pop only knows what else you're keeping secret from me.”

After the doctor had finished bandaging up Poppy's ear in silence, she sat down on the stool next to the examination table and took the younger female's hand in hers. “Now I want your doctor friend to gently wash and redress your ear twice a day. Come see me if anything changes, otherwise I'll expect you back in two weeks. Meanwhile I'm planning on spreading the word far and wide about what attacked you and what didn't. It isn't much, but it'll help keep those adorable friends of yours safe.”

o-o-o-o(end flashback)

Luckily the doctor had been as good as her word. In less then twenty-four hours, the fact that the Pop Queen had been attacked by one of her own people was all anyone could talk about. There had been some push back from Branch's followers, but they'd been quickly shot down. Moonbloom's reputation was beyond reproach and if she'd told the village that it had been a Pop Troll, than it had been a Pop Troll.

Coming back to the present with a start, Poppy shook her head sadly at the light pink female. “I'm afraid not”, she said in a somber voice, glad that the answer to the question was the truth. “I'm afraid that there wasn't much to go on and my attacker is too much of a coward to come forward.”

“Well, maybe if you didn't go around fuc-”, Chenille began before Satin jerked her head to the side, using their joined hair to jerk her sister off balance.

The twin Pop Trolls glared at each other for several tense seconds before the purple twin folded her arms and looked away with an offended grunt. Satisfied, Satin smiled and grabbed Poppy's hand.

“We've been such bad friends to you lately and I feel simply awful about it. I wasn't sure how we could make it up to you when suddenly it came to me. What better way to show you how we feel than to make you the most superb, the most fab, the most amazing outfit that we've ever created!”

Reaching into her multicolored hair, the light pink Pop Troll pulled out an outfit that seemed to be crafted from rainbows snatched from the very sky itself. The sleeveless dress was made from a luxurious silk taffeta with a knee length skirt consisting of dozens of layers of gorgeous sparkly tulle. The detachable cape, which had been dyed a few shades darker than the dress, had been crafted from rich velvet who's rainbow colors seemed to dance and flow whenever it was moved.

But as beautiful as the dress was, it was easily overshadowed by the crown that came with it. The delicate head piece was made of thick silver wire that swirled and looped in a beautiful organic patter that resembled lush leaves and vines. Multicolored cut and polished gemstones were set inside inside, mimicking tiny flowers in full bloom. The whole ensemble was breathtaking and one truly fit for a queen.

“Oh my goodness!”, she squealed excitedly. “It's so beautiful! Thank you both so much!”

The Pop Queen cheerfully leaned forward, giving each twin a long hug before carefully taking the outfit and crown from Satin. Holding the dress up to her chest, the pink female laughed gave a graceful twirl.

“I'm so glad you like it!”, began the light pink Pop Troll before once again being cut off by her sister.

“Yeah, yeah, we're great. Now hurry up and put it on. We're already twenty minutes late!”

“Late?”, Poppy asked, confused. “Late for what?”

“For your party!”, Chenille groaned, throwing up her hands in exasperation. “God Poppy, you can be such an airhead sometimes. Since I'm so nice, I'm going to explain this nice and simple like, so try and keep up. We're throwing you a birthday party. I'll admit that the original plan was for us to ignore you because, you know, of all the freaky and gross shit you've been doing. But after your little temper tantrum, some of the others started to feel bad, so we threw something together last minute. So change out of those awful rags and let's get going!”

Poppy froze, her body feeling completely numb, as the rush of complex thoughts and emotions started to overwhelm her. One of her biggest heartaches she'd suffered had been the rejection of her friends in the Snack Pack. She'd been friends with most of them since they were barely out of diapers and they'd stuck together through thick and thin. Finding out that they were not only welcoming her back with open arms, but also with a party seemed like a dream come true. But...

Glancing at the Rock Trolls behind her, the pink female felt her heart brake. Riff held Barb in his arms with Sid standing protectively behind them, all three watching her with big happy smiles. They all knew from countless crying sessions just how deeply her friends' betrayal had hurt her and how desperately she'd wanted them back. But even seeing one of her fondest wishes coming true wasn't enough to blot out the sadness and pain in their eyes at the realization that they wouldn't be spending Poppy's special day with her.

“I-I don't know”, Poppy stammered uneasily as she reluctantly turned back around.

“It's okay Pink”, Barb told her gently as she walked over and placed a purple hand on the other queen's arm. “We know how much you've missed your Pop friends. Go. We'll still be here when you get back.”

Still feeling torn, Poppy gazed into her boyfriend's loving violet-red eyes before looking at the overloaded table full of food and the multitude of intricate handmade decorations that filled the room. Looking down at the gorgeous black and pink dress that Chenille had been so dismissive of, she saw in her mind's eye Barb sitting up late at night, trying to design the perfect outfit that not only honored what the Pop Queen had been, but who she was today. 

Her friends had worked run themselves ragged, trying to make her birthday the best they could possibly make it. They hadn't done it because they'd wanted something from her or to make themselves feel better. They'd done it out of love. Suddenly the difficult choice she though she'd had didn't seem like much of one any more.

“I'm sorry”, she told the twins with an apologetic but firm smile. “I appreciate all the trouble everyone's gone through, but I'm already attending a birthday party with my other friends. If you or one of the Snack Pack would like to get together and do something at a later date, I'd be more than happy to RSVP.”

The sibling's reactions couldn't have been more different if they'd rehearsed it before hand. Satin gave the Pop Queen a sad understanding smile and started to walk towards her with open arms before being shoved out of the way by her sister. Chenille eyes blazed with fury as she stalked forward and began jabbing the pink female hard in the chest with a well manicured finger.

“What the fuck happened to you Poppy?”, the lavender twin spat. “You used to be such a good friend and a queen we could be proud of. Now all you do is stay home and do disgusting things with your filthy animals. I tried to overlook it but now you're choosing their sad and pathetic attempt at a party over the gala that your REAL friends are throwing in your honor. What gives?”

Poppy gave the other Pop Troll a sweet smile, feeling only a deep sense of peace and happiness. “They're my family and I love them.”

Chenille jaw dropped as she gaped at her, silent and dumbfounded before her sister took the opportunity to push her out of the way. “I completely understand”, Satin told her softly as she gave the Pop Queen a hug. “You're really lucky. I hope you know that.” 

“I do”, the Pop Queen whispered before giving a happy sob. “I do.”

Pulling away, the light pink female grinned as she grabbed her still silent sister's hand. “Don't worry!”, she called back, dragging the unresisting troll behind her. “I'll let the others know that you had a previous engagement. If they don't like it, they can fucking deal!”

Waving goodbye, Poppy let out a tired sigh as she went back inside, shutting the door firmly behind her. Sid reached out and gently hugged Poppy to his chest, cradling her in his strong arms. Letting the rainbow dress and crown fall unheeded to the floor, she melted into his loving embrace. As she nuzzled his lean body and took comfort from his embrace, the guitarist leaned over and kissed the top of her head.

“Thank you”, he breathed almost inaudibly into her hair.

They stayed like that for some time until Riff's gentle clearing of his throat got their attention. “Um, do you want me to put this in your room or something?”, he asked hesitantly, having picked up the exceedingly delicate garment from where it fell. “'Cause Rock parties can get a little rough and I wouldn't want it to get hurt or anything.”

The Pop Queen opened her mouth to answer but paused when she suddenly had an idea. “That'd be very kind of you Riff, but I want to try something first”, she giggled as she squirmed out of her annoyed boyfriend's grasp.

Gently unclasping the velvet rainbow cape from the hanger, the pink female swirled it behind her in a flourish before closing the fastener at her throat. Next she took the the thankfully undamaged crown and carefully sat it on her head behind the one her Rock friends had given her. Once it had been secured, the Pop Queen broke out in a popular Pop dance which soon morphed into frantic headbanging and ended with a twirl and a double set of horns.

“So how do I look?', she panted, completely out of breath, but with a smile.

Barb, who'd been watching the spectacle with open amusement, started laughing hysterically. “Like you got dressed in the fucking dark!”, she barely managed to get out. “Gods, that was sick! We really need to get some fucking video of this!”

As Riff happily ran off to fetch the requested camcorder, Poppy sat on the couch and cuddled with the two remaining Rock Trolls. 'I was totally right!', she thought to herself giddily. 'This really is going to be the best birthday ever!'

OOOO(Poppy)

Grumbling loudly, Poppy re-fluffed her pillow for what felt like the hundredth time before slamming it back down on the bed. Her party earlier that day had been a complete and utter blast. After everyone had done a silly dance for the camera, they'd stuffed themselves silly with the delicious foods that Sid had made and then gone on to play charades for hours. When it got to be around noon, they stopped and had Poppy blow out her candles on a gorgeous black forest cake sprinkled with edible pink glitter.

After they'd devoured most of the tasty confection along with a second round of food, it had been time for presents. While Barb's amazing outfit and crown had been her main gift to the pink female, she'd still given her a black denim choker that she'd embroidered with the words, “That's 'Queen Poppy' To You, Asshole!”, in sparkling pink thread. Riff had taken various pieces of wood, shell, and bits of bone and had transformed them into breathtakingly beautiful guitar picks. Barb had demanded to know how her boyfriend had picked up that skill, making him blush and murmur that he might have made a few hundred over the years that were intended for her once he finally made his move and announced his love to the fiery Rock Queen.

Sid had given Poppy his gift last. To her amazement, he'd written set a complete set of Rock Ballads that Barb had quickly whispered was a traditional gift between a couple when things were starting to get serious. It was very similar to the courting rituals of her people where they exchanged love songs, although most were usually much less pornographic. She'd listened enraptured as her boyfriend played the acoustic and sung his words of devotion and love with a hear bursting with joy.

Afterwards they'd had an incredibly fun jam session until the twins had decided they'd had enough and started kicked the Rock Queen in just about every organ they could reach. Feeling like they were starving after the energy intensive musical workout, the four trolls had devoured what was left of what had once been an impressive feast of food. When they finished, they'd spent the rest of the night playing 'Never Have I Ever', where Poppy had learned plenty of fun and surprising things about her new family.

Bet even after having the time of her life, the Pop Queen found herself longing for something else, something she couldn't quit put her finger on. The problem she had was that the more she tried to identify what was bothering her, the more restless and frustrated she felt. Running through everything and everyone that could possibly relate to her confused and tangled feelings, the pink female found her mind constantly coming back to Sid. 

Over the past few months, Poppy had found herself growing even closer to the tall Rocker than she'd ever been with Branch. While he could be irritatingly stubborn and over protective at times, he was also kindhearted, supporting, incredibly loving and made her feel safe in a way that the teal male never had. One meaningful part of their relationship that took her breath away was the fact that the guitarist didn't seem to care about her title in the least other than helping her with her queenly duties when she asked. 

While it might not have seemed like such a big thing to someone else, it meant everything to her. Since she'd started dating at fourteen, the Pop Queen had been swamped with males and females who'd been enamored with her title and future power. Over the years it had gotten depressingly easy to spot those would-be lovers who coveted a relationship with one of the royal line, rather than Poppy herself. She'd thought that she'd finally found someone who loved her for her in Branch, only to find out that he had been using her, just like all the others.

Suddenly the embarrassing memory of how she'd grabbed Sid by his cock and balls popped up unbidden in Poppy's mind. Blushing, she remembered how velvety smooth his shaft had felt and how his large heave sac had been covered in coarse hair that strangely had felt far silkier than the puffy black mass on his head. She could still feel the strong electric tingles in her pussy when he'd gotten hard at her touch.

Drugged Poppy had been deeply hurt at the time when the guitarist had rejected her, but now all she felt was a deep sense of gratitude. While the pink female didn't think she'd have been angry with Sid if he'd taken her up on her offer of sex, the fact that he'd cared enough to make her wait until she was in a condition to give consent meant the world to her. The purple male hadn't even brought the incident up the next morning, only giving her a smile and a wink when he'd seen her horrified expression the next morning.

Branch never would have done that. He would have ordered everyone out of the room and taken her on the spot, no matter how drugged or loopy she'd been. While the Pop Queen knew intellectually that the two males were very different, the horrible betrayal she'd suffered at the hands of her former lover had hurt her far more deeply than she'd know it was possible to hurt. It wasn't just the fact that he'd brutally raped and ripped open the insides of the troll he was supposed to love, it was the fact that he could continually do so the sweet and kind Rock Queen who was carrying his children. 

As Poppy continued to compare and contrast the two males' behaviors and personalities, something suddenly seemed to click in her mind as the emotional part of herself came into alignment with her more rational side. “Sid isn't Branch”, she breathed aloud in wonder as she sat bolt upright in bed. “Sid isn't Branch!”

The realization finally broke down the mental blocks she'd desperately erected in her mind in order to protect herself. Suddenly she felt a surge of lust so strong that the Pop Queen unknowingly moaned out loud, desperate with need and want. Blushing hotly, she slipped a hand into her panties and rubbed herself, causing her to jerk and suck in a shaky breath of air as a jolt of pleasure surged through her body.

Sid. She needed Sid.

Nervous and excited, Poppy slipped from her bed and raced across the room, only pausing to open her closed door. As she burst into the main living area, the pink female had to force down a giggle when she heard Barb and Riff having their second round of sex for the night. Although the two could get quit loud at times, she'd become so used to their nightly sexcapades that it had merely become background noise.

Before tonight, she'd never been able to understand how Branch's constant sexual assaults hadn't seemed to throw off the Rock Queen's libido one whit or even how she could let Riff touch her right after the teal male was through. Although the pink female knew that she could never fully understand what the other female had gone through or what she suffered though right now, she realized that Barb must have come to the same conclusion she had. Riff wasn't Branch, Branch wasn't Sid. Of course things weren't quite that simple, but for now, it was enough.

Ghosting over to Sid's cracked open bedroom door, the Pop Queen hesitated for a few moments before taking a deep breath and pushing it open just enough to slip inside. Gently latching it behind her, she looked around the slightly messy room before focusing her pink gaze on the handsome male who lay fast asleep in a patch of silvery moonlight.

The guitarist was laying on his back with one muscular arm curled above his head and the other laying across his toned stomach with his lower half covered by the dark blue sheets. The wild black hair that Poppy loved so much had been freed from its headband, making it poof our adorably in all directions. However, what captivated her the most was how vulnerable and at peace the purple male looked, which was so very different from the pinched wary expression he wore when he was awake.

Poppy was content to just stand there and gaze at her boyfriend's sexy body until he murmured something in his sleep and turned over, causing the sheets to slide off to the side. The pink female had to fore down her involuntary groan of lust when she saw that Riff hadn't been messing with her. Sid really did sleep in the nude.

OOOO(Sid)

Sid was having one of the best dreams of his life. Everyone he loved was happy and safe, rocking out onstage during a Royal Concert event in Volcano Rock City. Barb sang and screamed out the lyrics to all of his favorite song while shredding along on rhythm guitar. Riff of course was totally killing it on the drums, pounding out blastbeats like the skilled musician he was. He was down right in front, headbanging like a wild thing as he played his beloved bass with Poppy at his side.

The small pink female was wearing a much skimpier version of her birthday dress and was playing the lead parts on her guitar with a flare that quite frankly, made him horny as hell. Together as a family, they pounded out song after song, rocking a packed crowd of not only his tribe, but with trolls from the other five nations as well. It was all he could have ever wanted.

He turned to grin at his gorgeous girlfriend when suddenly they were in his bed. Naked and covered with both of their fluids, they lay intertwined, enjoying the afterglow from some of the best sex he'd ever had. Mindful of his knot that tied them intimately together, the guitarist pulled Poppy against his chest as he protectively curled his body around her the best he could. Blissfully, he tried to recall a time when he'd been happier or more at peace, only to smile when his mind came up blank.

Looking up at him adoringly, Poppy smiled before she hesitantly whispered, “Sid sweetheart? Can you please wake up? I really need to talk to you.”

Furrowing his brow in confusion, Sid opened his mouth to ask her what she meant when he suddenly woke up and lost the dream. Still feeling disoriented, the muscular Rock Troll pushed himself up on his elbows and looked around in a daze as he slowly woke up. Squinting his bleary violet-red eyes, his brain slowly recognized his girlfriend sitting on the end of his wearing an amazing silk nightie that clung to her body like a second skin.

To say that the guitarist was surprised to see Poppy would have been an understatement. While they'd cuddled and napped fairly often on his bed during the day, the small pink female would always scurry off to her own bedroom at night, leaving him to sleep alone. It wasn't something that the tall Rocker was particularly used to. He'd almost always slept with buddies, members of whatever band he was playing with, or his current girlfriend like most Rock Trolls did. Hell, he'd even slept (platonically) with Barb and Riff on so many occasions that he'd lost count. But as lonely as he was, he'd made a vow to himself that he wouldn't push Poppy into doing something she wasn't ready for. She'd had far too much of that already.

“Sweetstuff?”, he called out uncertainly, giving a loud yawn. “Is everything okay? What time is it?”

Poppy looked away and blushed, her already gorgeous rosy skin darkening to an adorable magenta. “I-I was wondering if you'd like to give m-me one last birthday present.”, she whispered softly.

The guitarist stretched as he sat up, knowing that he was missing something, but was unable to force his sleep-fogged mind to decipher exactly what. There hadn't been much he could do to get his girl the kind of birthday presents she deserved. He hadn't thought to bring any of the obsidian chucks he liked to carve into half-assed animals when he had a little down time and the Pop Trolls had refused to except anything he had to trade when he'd tried to get her something else.

At a loss, he had gone the traditional rout and completed a four movement Rock Ballad with lyrics and acoustic guitar part he'd written completely by himself. While the purple male knew that Poppy had adored his gift, he couldn't help but feel like he'd cheated her somehow. He had started his love song for the pink female before he was forced to use it as a gift, instead of it being the romantic surprise it should have been. So, if his girl had found something else she wanted, than he'd do his fucking best to see that she got it.

“Whatcha want baby?”, he asked, slurring his words as he covered his mouth to hid another yawn.

“You.”

Poppy gave him an intoxicating look as she let her silk nightie slip off of her shoulders to puddle around her waste, exposing her small beautiful pink breasts and flat sexy stomach. Letting out a strangled gasp of pleasure and surprise, Sid found himself completely and utterly wide awake. Much to his embarrassment, his cock sprang wide awake as well, going from semi-hard to fully erect with a swiftness that left him lightheaded.

Looking down, the guitarist suddenly realized that he was completely naked and exposed. He quickly snatched up the fallen sheet and stuffed it around his crotch, the thin material doing little to hide his massive erection. “Are-are you sure sweetie? I mean really fucking sure?”, he shuddered, feeling as if the waves of lust and desire had set his body on fire. “I-I don't want you to-to feel-”

Giving the guitarist an impish smile, Poppy leaned over and with a boldness he hadn't expected, gently rubbed the head of his dick though the tented bed sheet until the material was completely soaked through with his precum. “Yeah, I'm sure”, she whispered huskily.

Sid sat watching his girlfriend with a slowly widening grin as her words sunk in, while she wiggled the rest of the way out of her clothing and tossed it along with her sodden panties to the floor. Settling down across from him, the pink female laid down and spread her legs, giving Sid a clear view of what he'd been dying to see for ages. 

Almost falling over in haste, he guitarist scrambled to his hands and knees before flicking his eyes up to Poppy's face. He waited until the small female had given him an amused smile and a nod before getting a closer look. Her beautiful pussy was completely shaven, exposing both outer and inner silken folds. With gentle fingers, he parted them, exposing her enticing channel and pink nub to his eager gaze.

Leaning forward, the muscular Rocker breathed in deeply, inhaling as much of her intoxicating sweet tinged musky scent as he could before thrusting his tongue into her entrance. Pushing in as far as he could comfortably go, he began to caress her inner walls, making the small pink female moan and writhe to the point where the guitarist had to grab her by the thighs to keep her from falling off the bed. After a few minutes, he withdrew his tongue, smirking inwardly as Poppy let out a whine of disappointment

Turning attention to her clit, Sid began to swirl his tongue over the sensitive bit of flesh, causing her let out a squeal of surprise and ran her hands though his thick fluffy black hair. Absolutely loving his girlfriend's reaction along with the gentle tug on his scalp, he continued to nuzzle, nibble and lick as she practically melted in his hands. The guitarist sped up when he felt the small female start to buck against his face, inserting his fingers inside of her and massaging until she threw her head back and froze quivering, coming hard in his hands. The muscular male frantically continued while she road out her orgasm, only stopping when she gently pushed him away.

“Havin' fun?”, he purred happily, looking up at her. “Cause it fucking sounded like you were to me.”

Poppy blushed hotly as she tightened her grip on the Rock Troll's hair and forcefully brought their mouths together. Startled and more than a little turned on my his girlfriend's boldness, Sid eagerly kissed her back. The two lovers passionately continued to explore and fondle each other's bodies until the pink female couldn't take it anymore.

“I need you inside me”, she gasped against his lips while grinding her slit against his aching cock. “Sid, please!”

Groaning loudly, it took everything the guitarist had not to come then and there. “Okay baby”, he managed to grunt out. “How ya wanna do this? Is there something special you'd like?”

The look of confusion that Poppy gave him made Sid feel as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over his head. “Wh-what do mean?”, she stammered nervously. “Bra-, um, I was told that it wasn't my place to decide what happened in bed. That it was the guy who got to choose.”

Once again, the muscular Rocker mentally vowed to cut off the survivalist's balls when he had the chance as he gently cupped his girlfriends' small face in his hand and gave her a gentle kiss. “No Poppy, no. Sex shouldn't be about one partner getting' their way while the other fucking deals. That's toxic as fuck. If they aren't havin' fun too, what's the fucking point? Might as well use your hand.”

'Or in that bastard's case, use one of his fucking steel traps', he viciously added in his mind.

“I-I guess so”, Poppy faltered as she plucked at his sheets. “So, wh-what is there then?”

Quickly running though his favorite sexual positions in his head, Sid quickly dismissed any that were too dominate on his end until he reached an oldie but goody. “How'd you like to ride on top?”, he asked with a wide grin.

“Me?”, she squeaked in surprise. “But I thought...I mean...can I really do that?”

The guitarist gave a shaky laugh while he tried his best to ignore his now painfully hard dick. Crawling to the head of the bed, he nestled into his pillows and held out his hands. “Course you can! Come here and I'll show you.”

Poppy gave him one of the most grateful looks the purple male had ever seen as she hurriedly knelt by his side. He felt a burst of pride when she gasped at and then stroked his member as it stood proudly erect and raring to go. When she was done, she looked him in the eye and patiently waited for his instructions.

“Okay Sweetstuff, kneel over me”, he ground out as he carefully helped her to straddle his body. “Now grab my dick and guide it in while you sit down. You wanna go nice 'n' slow so you don't hurt yourself.”

To Sid's overwhelming joy, his gorgeous girlfriend didn't even hesitate. Grabbing him firmly by the root, Poppy quickly lined everything up before impatiently impaling herself on his throbbing organ. It wasn't slow or gentle, but it certainly felt nice. Sighing in deep contentment, the guitarist grabbed the pink female by her hips to steady her while clamping down hard on his own urge to start rutting into her as hard as he could.

“Okay baby”, he gasped out in a higher pitched voice than normal. “Once you're ready, it's time to get movin'. I'm leavin' it up to you how fast or how deep we go. Just do what makes you feel good.”

The lovers moaned in unison as Poppy began to move. Starting off uncertain at first, she slid up and down his now glistening cock with a deliberate slowness that drove him insane before picking up the pace as she gained confidence. As he watched his girlfriend pleasure herself on his dick, Sid had to do every mental trick in his large repertoire of sexual knowledge to force himself not to come.

“Gods Poppy, you're fucking amazing”, he moaned breathlessly while he rubbed her pink thighs encouragingly.

“You're not bad either handsome”, she panted back. “Branch...Branch would have never let me have control like this!”

The muscular Rocker let out a strained laugh as he smiled and rolled his violet-red eyes. “Ju-just so you know, talkin' 'bout other guys when we're makin' love isn't the biggest turn on”, he teased gently, shifting his grip on her so he could run his hands over her gorgeous ass.

Poppy blushed cutely, but before she could apologize, he made sure to add, “Good thing I'm already horny as hell!”

She gave him a huge grin in thanks which trailed off into a thoughtful expression as she started to slow her thrusts. When she stopped moving completely, the guitarist gave a whine of despair while he involuntarily bucked his hips a few times in a desperate bid to get her going again.

“Wh-what's wrong?”, he whimpered pleadingly, almost on the verge of tears. “Did I-I do something to upset you? Did you wanna-wanna stop?”

“NO! No!, she quickly reassured him as she leaned forward and stroked his muscular chest. “I just want you to have fun too.”

“I AM havin' fun!”, Sid protested, bucking his hips again. “I promise!”

“I know sweetheart, I know. But I want our first time together to end the way you've always dreamed it would. It's just like you said. Sex just doesn't feel right if only one of us gets to call the shots. I want you to be able to let loose and fuck me like you would another Rock Troll if that's what you want. I need to know every part of you and I mean that both literally AND figuratively.”

“You sure?”, he asked cautiously as his body shivered with sheer need. “I promise I'd never hurt you, but Rock males can be a little...rough.”

Poppy looked at the tall Rocker with lust filled pink eyes and gave a determined nod. “I'm sure. Go as hard as you want. I won't break.”

Waiting until his girlfriend was lying next to him, Sid lunged at her with a snarl, causing the small female to let out a squeal of excitement. He quickly climbed on top of her, ignoring the twinges of pain in his bandaged hand and quickly inserted his weeping manhood deep inside her core. Once he was firmly in place, the Rock Troll began to move frantically, his hips slamming brutally against hers with enough force to scoot her across the bed if he hadn't used his body to cage her underneath him.

Instead of asking him to slow down or be more gentle like the guitarist had half-feared, Poppy met his forceful thrusts with ones of her own. He closed his eyes in bliss, loving her heat and tightens and as well as an overwhelming sense of contentment as they moved as one. The two lovers continued to clutch each other close, almost as if the other was the only thing keeping them alive as they fucked with total abandon. It was far too primal to be called love making, yet the meeting of two souls becoming once couldn't be called anything else.

Waves of pleasure continued to wrack Sid's body as his girl writhed underneath him. He had to viciously fight against his primal instinct to bite her, to mark her in some way in order to show any potential rivals that until she rejected him, the small pink female was HIS. Fortunately the feeling of his ecstasy growing past the point where it became almost painful jolted him from his tumultuous thoughts. Looking frantically down at Poppy, the muscular Rocker was relived to see that she seemed as close he was. Reassured, he buried his face into her silky fragrant hair and pounded her body even harder, his sooth rhythm degenerating into wield ragged thrashing as he edged ever closer to his release.

Suddenly Poppy stiffened and screamed his name as she climaxed, taking Sid over the edge of the abyss with her. The purple male could only let out a wordless cry of completion as his own waves of euphoria crashed down over his body. Thrusting as far inside his girlfriend as he could get, he continued his brutal pounding as he felt his cum gush out inside her hot canal, filling her to the point where the creamy white liquid spurted out with every movement.

Dimly realizing that cumming inside his girlfriend may not have been one of his most brilliant ideas, Sid went to pull out, only to be stopped when Poppy wrapped her legs around his ass in a valiant attempt to keep him in. Not wanting to hurt her by forcing them apart, he looked at the pink female in wild-eyed panic, trying to convey what he was too far gone to say out loud. Uncaring, his she gave the tall Rocker a dangerous look that made him flinch before biting hin in the shoulder deep enough to draw blood.

Happily giving in to his girlfriend's desires, the guitarist kept thrusting until his knot locked them firmly in place. The two lovers blissfully laid wrapped in each other's arms, nuzzling and kissing each other's bodies for quite some time before Sid managed to clear his head enough to speak.

Clearing his throat nervously, he waited until he had Poppy's attention before continuing. “I, uh, don't suppose you're still on birth control?”

The silence that followed wasn't all that encouraging.

“I forgot about that”, she admitted with a sigh. “I was supposed to get my next injection around the time I found out what...what had happened to Barb. Doctor Moonbloom told me it can take up to a year for me to get pregnant once I got off the medication. So we're probably okay, but we should probably see her tomorrow anyway.”

Feeling incredibly comfortable and at peace, Sid nestled his chin on top of his girlfriend's head and was just starting to drift back off to sleep when she jostled him back to consciousness. Looking up at the much larger male, Poppy blushed and then looked away.

“You-you don't regret tonight, do you?”, she asked pensively, still not meeting his eyes.

“Fuck no!”, he quickly reassured her as he craned his down down to kiss her face and hair. “This was easily the most amazin' experience of my life, and I fucking mean that. I-I love you Poppy, more than anyone I've ever known. Honestly, I'm just hopin' that you'll wanna keep fucking me after tonight.”

“Oh, I don't think you'll have to worry about that”, his girlfriend smiled with a lustful glint in her eye. “I feel the exact same way. I love you Sid.”

“I love you too”, he happily murmured back.

Sighing in contentment, Sid cupped his good hand around Poppy's ass and possessively pushed her flush against his body, causing his knot to be pushed as far inside of her body as it could go before giving her a deep kiss. Enjoying the velvety softness of his girlfriend's lips, he reluctantly pulled away as she yawned sleepily. Cuddling in each other's embrace, the two lovers drifted off to sleep as the first streaks of dawn crept across the star filled sky.


	13. I Don't Want To Miss A Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After several moths of intense struggle, Poppy has managed to work past some of the mental trauma and fully commit to her relationship with Sid. Feeling free from some of the ghosts and toxic lessons of her past, the Pop Queen is eager to start making the changes she desperately needed. But life has a way of throwing us curveballs and Poppy's life is about to make a drastic turn that she'd never dreamed it would take.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Talk about past rape, Consensual sex (not graphic), More consensual sex (still not graphic sorry), Casual talk about loving consensual sex.
> 
> Author's Notes:
> 
> Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed last chapter. Branch is furious because he's losing supporters right and left, thanks to the Rock Trolls just being themselves, Doctor Moonbloom, and some of Poppy's friends from the snack pack working against him. While a lot of her friends have seen the error of their ways, not all of them have. 
> 
> While Poppy's deepening relationship with Sid is helping out with all facets of her life, you don't NEED a relationship to be a complete person. I personally find that I'm much happier in a (healthy) relationship than I am when I'm not, I have a friend who's mostly the exact opposite. She'd rather be as independent as she can and hates having to deal with anyone when she wants to be alone. Everyone is different.
> 
> I don't know if it's obvious, but the most common sexual orientation for trolls in my stories is bisexual. Some have more of a preference for males, some for females, and some for those who are nonbinary, but most will date or be with trolls they have a strong connection with, regardless of biological sex or gender. I do this because I want to. I don't demonize or prioritize any particular sexual or romantic attraction over any other. Love among those who can consent is beautiful. There are some exceptions such as my Biggie who is biromantic and asexual and Conductor Trollzart who is heterosexual. 
> 
> Lyrics Used or Songs Mentioned  
> Aerosmith – I Don't Want To Miss A Thing  
> Guns 'N' Roses – Welcome To The Jungle  
> Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe  
> Metallica – Nothing Else Matters  
> God Forbid – Divide My Destiny  
> Goo Goo Dolls – All That You Are

I could stay awake just to hear you breathin'  
Watch you smile while you are sleeping  
While you're far away and dreaming  
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender  
I could stay lost in this moment forever  
Where every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure

Don't want to close my eyes  
I don't want to fall asleep  
'Cause I'd miss you, baby  
And I don't wanna miss a thing  
'Cause even when I dream of you  
The sweetest dream would never do  
I'd still miss you, babe  
And I don't want to miss a thing

~I Don't Want To Miss A Thing (Aerosmith)

OOOO(Poppy)

Poppy woke slowly, feeling both deliriously happy along with a bone-deep sense of contentment. The heady mix of emotions was something that she'd never felt before, almost as if she'd been missing something all of her life only to finally find it last night. She wasn't quite sure what it was, only that it hadn't been the sex, although that had been mind blowingly fantastic. No, itt was something else, but something just as primal.

Pushing the confusing tangle of thoughts away for the time being, the Pop Queen flicked her gaze up coquettishly at Sid and was thrilled when she saw his sweet and kind violet-red eyes looking back down at her. The guitarist gave her a seductive grin as he tilted her head up and gently brushed his lips against hers, sending electric tingles of pleasure throughout her entire body. Groaning lustily, the pink female crushed her lips against his, needing so much more. The muscular Rock Troll gave a happy wordless moan of his own as he obliged her.

As the couple pulled away for a much needed breather, Poppy suddenly became aware of an uncomfortable feeling of wetness between her legs. Pulling back the sheets, she couldn't stop from grimacing when she saw that her lower half was covered in half dried cum and other bodily fluids from the night before. Like was typical for all male trolls, Sid's knot had gone down somewhere between one to three hours after he'd knotted her, letting all of the fluids that hadn't been pushed deep within her body to come flooding back out.

While she'd had it happen before when she and Branch had fallen asleep after sex, it wasn't something she was used to. The teal male had been almost fanatical about cleanliness when it came to his bunker. He'd drag her from the bed and into the bathroom almost as soon as his knot had gone down before she dirtied his bedding any further. The Pop Queen was completely taken aback by the sheer amount of cum that her boyfriend had pumped into her. She didn't know if it was a male Rock Troll trait or if it was just Sid, but it sent a primal thrill through her all the same.

Glancing nervously back up at Sid, the pink female blushed when she saw him looking down at the mess they'd made with a deep look of pride before giving her an amused smile and a wink. “Can't be helped, Sweetstuff”, he murmured, his voice deep and rich. “It's completely natural and all me.”

The guitarist snaked a long arm between Poppy's legs and began pumping his fingers in and out of her pussy, making her moan wantonly in delight. Shuddering hard, she grabbed her boyfriend's arm, forcing him in deeper as she began to desperately hump his hand, desperate for more of his touch. A distant part of the Pop Queen's brain attempted to chide her on acting so brazenly, but her more dominate side cheerfully told it to go fuck off. 

Grinning, Sid carefully used his bandaged hand to give his cock a few hard pumps, continuing to finger fuck Poppy until he was hard and ready to go. “Someone's fucking horny today”, he purred seductively as he nipped and nuzzled her intact ear.

“Can you blame me?”, she panted back harshly. “After last night, I want as much of you as I can get!”

Growling deep in his chest, the large male looked at her just as desperate, his expressive eyes full of lust and love. The Rocker gently removed his hand from inside her core before roughly maneuvering the pink female on her back before hesitating and lifting an inquiring eyebrow. Poppy's excited giggle as she eagerly parted her legs told her boyfriend all he needed to know.. 

Their lovemaking was just as wonderful and passionate as it being the night before. Poppy was more than happy to let Sid dominate her, eagerly letting the purple male do whatever he wanted . Not being in charge for once was exhilarating to the Pop Queen, as was knowing that her boyfriend would stop or let her take charge as soon as he was asked. As they reached their peak, the two lovers clung tightly to each other in ecstasy, as the guitarist once again filled her core to bursting with his potent cum. 

Mindful of the late hour, Sid gently eased his knot out of Poppy's tight warm pussy before it could fully expand. Although she appreciated his thoughtfulness, the pink female couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Although knotting made sex feel far more satisfying for the both of them, not doing so helped the male's erection go down after only a few minutes as well as not tying them together until the early afternoon. The guitarist did his best to hide his look of regret as he kissed the Pop Queen on the forehead and slipped out of bed.

Poppy watched him confused as he walked past the closed door and pulled open one of the drawers of his large blue dresser. The male Rock Troll pulled out a bundle of fabric from inside and threw it into her lap. Not understanding, the pink female looked down at the multicolored fabric in confusion before meeting her lover's eyes, completely at a loss as to what he wanted her to do.

Sid furrowed his brow and gave her a worried look, deeply concerned over his girlfriend's reaction. “They're rags for cleaning ourselves up before our shower”, he told her softly as he took a few and began to carefully clean under his foreskin and around the slight bulge of his now completely deflated knot. “See? I like getting' this stuff off as soon as possible if I'm awake. Shit gets fuckin' gross when it gets cold.”

Familiar feelings of fear and shame gripped Poppy's heart as her mind forced her to relive the memory of the last time she'd tried to clean herself up. Although she'd only used the tissues from a box beside the bed, Branch had been furious at her for not asking his permission to 'waste his resources' first. The teal male seemed to have a complex ever-changing set of rules for everything, including sex, that she never seemed to be able to get right. One of the most sacred had been 'Only males decide where, when, and how a female had sex, no exceptions'. The times she'd complained or suggested a romantic interlude had been met with heavy disdain, cutting remarks and harsh physical punishment.

Poppy'd been angry and hurt the first time he'd punished her. Branch had ordered her to clean herself for anal sex which was something she hadn't wanted to try. As soon as the words left her mouth, he'd pinned her to the bed, raining down vicious slaps to her pussy, breasts and inner thighs. After he'd finished, the teal male ignored her feeble attempts to push him away as pulled her sobbing form into his arms. The survivalist had then explained that while he hadn't enjoyed hurting her, maintaining discipline was an important part of a relationship, something all males were responsible for.

Due to her love for the teal male along with a hefty dose of ignorance, the Pop Queen had tried push her misgivings away and take him at his word. Although physical violence seemed antithetical to what it meant to be a Pop Troll, she found it hard to argue the point when so many of the survivalist's friends were quick to back him up. Finally she'd gone to her father Peppy for advice, only to find that he completely agreed with Branch that sometimes a female needed to be punished by her male if it were in her best interest.

Looking back, the pink female felt so stupid that she hadn't seen her former lover's abuse for what it was, even after she'd rescued the Rock Queen. At the time she hadn't seen the need for comparison. Barb had been tortured and maimed at Branch's hands for being what she was while Poppy had been given much needed corrective discipline. It had only been after she'd seen how Riff treated Barb and how Sid treated her that the Pop Queen realized just how sick and twisted her relationship with the survivalist had been. 

Hearing the large Rocker's distressed cry, Poppy let her hair fall over her eyes, not wanting to the pity on her boyfriend's face. “I see”, she whispered brokenly, the shame in her voice so palpable that it almost felt like a living thing. “I-I should have guessed that. It's just that Branch...”

That's all it took before Sid was at Poppy's side in what seemed like the blink of an eye. The tall male lovingly stroked her face for a few seconds before gently gathering up the much small troll in his arms. Climbing back up onto the tall bed, he gentle nested the Pop Queen in his lap, not caring in the least that the fresh cum leaking out from inside her body made a mess of his relatively clean fur.

“It's gonna be okay baby”, the large Rocker murmured soothingly, his accent thicker than normal due to his distress. “I know that bastard did a lotta horrible things to you, an' it's gonna take time figurin' out exactly what. Just remember that I'm here to help and none of what he did was your fault.”

Poppy pressed hard against her boyfriend's muscular chest as the guitarist's words tried to penetrate the bubble of guilt and stress that she still held close to her heart. “I understand that up here”, she lamented softly, tapping the side of her head before doing the same to her chest. “I can't seem to convince myself of it here. It's just that the more I learn how messed up my relationship with Branch was, the more I feel like I should have been able to figure it out for myself. I can't believe I was so stupid.”

Sid sighed heavily as he wrapped his arms tightly around the pink female and held her close. “Please don't beat yourself up like that Sweetstuff. Truth is, my last relationship wasn't any better than yours. Silica was an amazin' girl, least that's what I though before things went bad. 

It started off small, like bein' rude and mean to me when we were on dates and in front of my friends and stuff. Then she started givin' away my favorite gear in order to hang with popular bands that would have never let her otherwise. I tried not to let it get to me. Figured that if it made her happy than it was worth the loss of my stuff. That's how it stayed for a bit, but then these ugly rumors started up, saying I was beatin' her and goin' into rages and stuff. Of course they were all started by her in order to get sympathy an' sex from other guys, but I didn't know it at the time.

Barb an' Riff and my other friends tried to warn me, but the more they tried, the more I felt I had to defend her. I loved that girl with all of my heart and refused to see what was in front of my face. Once Silica saw that I was willin' to put up with her shit, she really started to show her true colors. 

She started hittin' me with her fists or whatever heavy or sharp shit was lying around whenever she'd had a bad day or things didn't go her way. Then she...she started bringin' her other lovers home so we could...could have threesome's an' orgies an' stuff. Now I ain't against group sex and I can't think of a single Rock Troll who is, but none of 'em would take 'no' for an answer, not even when it hurt, or I got scared, or just wasn't feelin' it.”

Poppy jerked her head up in horror as Sid let out a harsh sob, visibly fighting with the horrible memories and pain that had come alive with the telling of his story. Reacting instinctively, the pink female frantically nuzzled and kissed whatever parts of his body that she could reach in a desperate attempt at comforting her grieving mate. After a few minutes, the Rock Troll sucked in a shaky breath and buried his face in his girlfriend's dark pink hair.

“Oh god, Sid! I'm so sorry!”, she gasped, horrified and shocked at what the purple male had had to live though. “I didn't know...I mean I didn't realize that males could be...could be...”

“Raped?”, the guitarist finished with a humorless chuckle. “If someone shoves their cock, or fingers, or anythin' else in your body that you don't want or haven't said yes to, it's rape. Doesn't matter what your gender or theirs is. Doesn't matter if you're datin', or mated, or 'good friends', or wearin' somethin' sexy. No means no and rape is rape.”

Horrible images started to invade Poppy's mind, terrible thoughts of her beloved Sid being forced down on a bed by shadowy figures that brutally violated his body while a feminine laugh echoed from somewhere in the darkness. She felt her stomach give a awful lurch and had to fight down the urge to vomit. Feeling the guitarist's soft nose nuzzling her forehead, the pink female looked up and was thrilled when his full lips met hers in a sweet kiss.

After a few tender moments, the couple broke apart and hugged each other lovingly before the large Rocker resumed his story. “Things were pretty fuckin' bad when Silica finally decided to end it. I was playin' bass in one of our royal concerts when she came struttin' out onstage and snatched the microphone right outta Barb's hand. She stood in front of the crowd an' tore me apart in front of everyone with this big grin on her face. It just went on and on, with her tellin' them how much of a disappointment I was an' all of my shortcomings, both as a boyfriend and as a male. 

I wanted her to stop, but I couldn't think of what to do! Silica ignored me when I begged her to stop and there's no way in hell I'd hit anyone weaker than me, even if I could bring myself to do it. So I stood there like an idiot and...just took it. When she started laughing about how I'd cry after her friends would fucked my ass an' cock bloody, Barb felt like she'd waited long and punched her in the face and knocked her out. Had her and her buddies dumped as far from the kingdom as she could, deep in unclaimed lands.

After all that, what fucking sucks the most is that I can't bring myself to hate her. I mean, I wouldn't take Silica back, even if I wasn't datin' the sweetest, sexiest, most amazing troll in the world. It's just that when I look at her, I still see the ghost of the female I loved, even if that side of her never really existed in the first place.”

After Sid's story, Poppy couldn't begin to imagine how anyone wouldn't hate the horrible female after what she'd done. But as she looked into her boyfriends kind and loving face, it suddenly didn't surprise her all that much that he'd somehow managed to find a way.. 

“Don't worry handsome, I can hate her enough for the both of us”, she informed him serenely as she gently stroked his muscular arm.

Sid roared with laughter as he hugged his girlfriend to his chest. “Thanks Sweetstuff! I really appreciate that. You're gonna need to get with Barb and Riff later today. They already have a club dedicated to it.”

“Oh, I'll do that, believe me”, the Pop Queen agreed fiercely as she pulled the large Rocker into another kiss.

Afterwards they cuddled and talked for quite some time before they reluctantly got up to officially start their day. Slowly opening the door, Poppy peered out and found the main living area of the pod strangely empty. Her confusion only lasted a moment before moans and other arousing sounds coming from Riff and Barb's room quickly reassured her that the other couple was doing just fine. Moving quickly due to the chill in the air, two trolls held each other's hands and laughed as they dashed into the Rocker's bathroom and quietly shut the door.

Once in the shower, the lovers continued to explore and caress each other's bodies which ended with Poppy jerking Sid off, reducing the large male to a quivering wreck as he came hard in her hand. Eventually the two trolls finally got around to washing themselves, thoroughly enjoying the seemingly endless stream of hot water that was the pink females favorite perk that came with being queen. It was only when the purple male was drying her off with a fluffy black towel that the Pop Queen realized that they'd neglected to bring any clean clothes for them to change into

Wrapping themselves up in their towels, Sid cheerfully threw open the door, only to find that the great room was no longer empty. Barb and Riff were cuddled close together on the couch, whispering sweet words to each other which stopped as soon as the other couple walked out of the bathroom. Wearing matching smiles, they watched the two with knowing eyes, causing Poppy to blush as the guitarist pulled her to his chest defensively.

“So you two finally managed to fuck!”, the Rock Queen sang out joyfully, giving them a double set of horns. “It's about fucking time!”

“Yeah!”, Riff interjected, his grin growing even wider. “It took you guys long enough! Sid's usually having sex with his girlfriends, like from the second day-!”

His unwelcome comment ended with a comical 'oof' as Barb elbowed him sharply in the ribs. Grasping his aching side, the lanky Rock Troll looked at his girlfriend confused and hurt while she shot him the classic 'What-in-the-nine-hells-are-you-fucking-doing?' glower and not so subtly gestured toward Poppy. It took the drummer a seconds to realize what she was trying to tell him before he clapped a large calloused hand over his mouth, his bright blue eyes widening in horror 

Sid let out an exasperated despairing groan as he facepalmed and shook his head in disbelief. He stood completely still, giving Poppy time to process what their their friend had enthusiastically announced to the world. When Poppy continued to stay silent, he cautiously opened his vivid violet-red eyes and glanced down at the pink female apprehensively, obviously nervous about how she was taking the revelation of his past sexual history.

At first Poppy was tempted to tease her boyfriend and stay quiet little longer, but upon seeing how scared and miserable the purple male was, she gave him an understanding smile and a saucy wink instead. After she'd read up on the Hard Rock tribe and its culture, it didn't take a genius to realize that Sid would have had possibly dozens of sexual partners by now. Rock Trolls tended to havehigh libidos and very casual views on sex. It wasn't uncommon for them to have intercourse with friends, bandmates, groupies, bond mates, and various partners. 

That wasn't to say that they didn't cherish the act or think it wasn't special. It was more that they enjoyed celebrating the connections they had with their fellow trolls sexually rather than with hugs or surprise parties. Their personal mantra as a people WAS 'Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'N' Roll after all, just like her people's was 'Parties, Glitter, and Hugs'.

'Besides,Branch and I didn't even wait that long', she thought to herself ruefully with a mental shake of her head.

“It's okay handsome, I completely understand”, the Pop Queen said aloud with a blush that brought out the glitter freckles on her cheeks. “It's just how your society works. I mean, even if you did have sex with tons of other trolls, what matters is that you want to be with me.”

Sid looked at her in surprise and blushed. “It wasn't a ton, but I've been with a few others. None of 'em came close to what I feel about you”, he muttered in embarrassment as he gently pressed his soft lips against hers in a gentle kiss. 

“Oh, come on man, sure you have!”, chortled Riff as he slapping his knee in amusement. “You were always in bed with someone if you weren't dating and stuff. Oh! Do you remember the time when Nikky bet you that-”

Barb sighed theatrically as she elbowed her boyfriend hard in the side once again as the larger Rocker gave the lanky gray male a look that would have killed a lesser troll. Seeing everyone so worked up over something that Poppy considered a nonissue caused her to laugh, the melodic sound instantly calming the tension in the room..

“I already told you guys, it's fine”, she giggled her friends looked at her in relief. “I'm not going to get mad at you for being a Rock Troll. I'll admit that I was a little jealous at first, but that's on me, not you.”

“Pink, you're one amazing chick”, the Rock Queen grunted breathlessly as she hefted herself off of the bright pink couch. “First you find a way to put up with all of us livin' with you like this, then you just casually accept my people's culture like it's no big deal. I know how different we are from Pop Trolls. Then again, given how freakishly innocent you used to be, I wouldn't be surprised if there was fun freaky shit going down right under your nose. 

While the Pop Queen laughed with the rest of her family, inside she felt a stab of pure fear as she looked at her pregnant friend. With the twins growing as rapidly as they were, Barb's abdomen had expanded rapidly, making her look much closer to term than she actually was. Branch would have had to be a complete moron not to have realized that he'd sired more than one child by now and the teal male was anything but stupid. 

The fact that he'd never commented on Barb's changing form or asked about his offspring's health when she returned from her monthly checkups aboard the Funk hospital ship, 'Devotion' had Poppy gravely concerned. As with all species of trolls, that strong instinct along with cultural and social expectations ensured that even accidental pregnancies were loved and cherished. Pop Troll males nromally took great interest in their biological offspring and would be head over heals with joy at the thought of his Trolling growing inside of his lover or mate.

For Branch to be so unmoved by the experience, one of two things must have occurred in his dark and twisted psyche. He either didn't see the Trollings as his offspring, or something was holding him back from forming that important bond. While the Pop Queen couldn't be sure which one it was, both had chilling implications that didn't bode well for the infants' or Barb's future well being.

Mentally giving herself a shake, Poppy shared a grin with the other queen as they bumped fists then followed it up with flashing the essential Rocker's horns. Unable to shake the terrible sense of foreboding that hung over her like a rain cloud, the pink female quickly pulled Barb into an intense hug before she could walk away, made much more difficult due to her large baby bump. The Rock Queen froze in surprise and looked at her in concern before eagerly hugging her back.

As Poppy put pressure on her friend's abdomen, the twins decided they'd had enough and started kicking as hard as they could. Both females looked down and giggled in delight, feeling a deep emotional bond with each other that went beyond sisterhood. As the Pop Queen lovingly rubbed Barb's baby bump, the purple female's happy grin changed into one that was far more wicked and teasing.

“You know, you can't complain anymore 'bout how noisy me and Riff get when we fuck, right? I mean, you call us loud, but you guys had us beat more than a few decibels! I don't know what you guys were doin', but DAMN! Just let us know if you ever feel comfortable havin' an orgy together, 'cause that party's gonna be sick!”

Blushing hotly at the thoughts creeping into her mind, the Pop Queen looked away as the others chuckled in amusement. “I-I...uh...er...maybe...someday?”, she stammered helplessly, completely at a loss for words.

“Don't worry Pink. We'd never force you to do something you don't wanna'”, Barb reassured her as she mercifully come to her rescue. “I'm sure Sid'll help you figure out what you're comfortable doin and what you're not'. It's something all couples need to figure out in the beginning, even me and Riff. That part was easy though, seein' as there's only a few things we won't at least try once. Just keep in mind that fucking is a healthy part of a relationship an' not something to be ashamed of.”

The Rock Queen paused, her joyous expression flickering to one of pain and heart wrenching despair as she wrapped her arms around her chest and trembled with fear. “Well, sex that you're not forced to have anyway.”

Riff shot off the couch as it he'd been electrocuted. Gathering the red headed female in his loving embrace, the drummer gave her a sad smile before tilting her chin up with a large finger and pressed his lips to hers. The Rock Queen was unnaturally still for a heartbeat before she responded fiercely, kissing her boyfriend back, their love helping to drive the spiritual demons that haunted her away, if only for now.

After a few moments, Barb gently pulled away with a sigh before giving the other couple a slight smile and a quirked eyebrow. “Why don't you guys go put on some clothes before you two freeze to death? I can't believe how fucking COLD your kingdom gets this early in the autumn! I mean, what the fuck?”

“Well, some of us don't live beside active volcanoes you know”, Poppy playfully reminded her. “The rest of us have to struggle with four seasons instead of your two!”

“I know, right? So weird.”, the other queen agreed as she glanced over at Riff. “Well while you're doin' that, I'm gonna try and convince my sexy boyfriend here to let me ride his cock for a while. So you know, don't worry if you don't see us out or go knockin' on our door or anything when you're done.”

Riff's entire body shuddered like leaves being tossed about by a stiff breeze as he leaned down and nuzzled Barb's bright red mohawk before pressing her against his body. “Like I need any convincing or anything”, he hummed sensually as he rubbed his crotch against her back.

When Barb responded to his advances with harder thrusts of her own, the drummer gave an excited giggle as he gently picked the pregnant female up in his arms. He paused for a second to press a gentle kiss to her lips and belly before striding swiftly to the room and kicking the door shut with his foot. Poppy couldn't help but smile at the two, thrilled beyond measure at seeing two of her dearest friends so deliriously happy before she was distracted by a hard poke in her back. 

Turning around, the pink female felt an electric jolt of arousal in her loins when she saw Sid's massive erection poking out from within the confines of her fluffy black towel. Suddenly feeling bold and daring, the Pop Queen grabbed the throbbing organ in her small hand and gave it a firm squeeze, immediately getting the large Rocker's attention.

“Looks like someone's still excited”, she exclaimed in the sultriest voice she could manage as she slipped her hand further under his towl.

Sid sucked in a shuddering breath as Poppy cupped his soft furry testicles in one hand and started playing with the soft nubs along the underside of his shaft. Moving her hand back and forth, she couldn't get enough of how smoothly his foreskin moved to expose the velvety head, causing it begin leaking copious amounts of precum from the slit at its tip. Happily using the liquid as lubricant, the Pop Queen began moving even faster, causing the purple male to almost fall to his knees.

Groaning harshly, the guitarist grabbed her hand and gently pulled her it away from his cock before smashing his lips against hers in a rough and brutal kiss. Loving every bit of it, the pink female kissed him back just as aggressively, using her small teeth to nip and bite at his tongue and lips.

Ma-maybe we should take this to the fucking bedroom?”, he asked Poppy urgently, only waiting for her eager nod before sweeping the smaller female off of her feet.

OOOO

Poppy took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she stood outside the felted door that lead to Dr. Moonbloom's practice. Thanks to another incredibly round of sex, it was now late in the afternoon, forcing the two lovers to hurry in order to catch the older female before she stopped accepting appointments for the day. While they'd made it with more than half an hour to spare, the Pop Queen found herself strangely hesitant to go inside. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what set off her unease, but the fact that she'd have to lie though her teeth as to why she needed birth control right now certainly didn't help.

Feeling her worry and fear, Sid let out a low rumble of reassurance from deep inside his chest, the sound barely audible even to her from where he knelt on one knee with his head bowed in deference behind her. Taking comfort from the presence of her beloved and feeling sick from what the Rock Troll was forced to endure in public, the Pop Qeen gathered what courage she could muster up and opened the door.

The office was surprisingly full for such a late hour, with six Pop Trolls waiting for their appointments along with several nurses and staff. The happy sounds of laughter and chatter cut off abruptly as her people warily watched them walk though the door. Feeling her cheeks burning with a thousand different emotions, Poppy kept her head held high as they began to whisper frantically to each other, watching the huge Rock Troll with angry and frightened eyes.

Ignoring the disturbing snippets of conversations she could make out, the Pop Queen forced herself to smile as she stopped by the front desk. “Good afternoon! I realized that you're super busy, but I was hoping to see Dr. Moonbloom about some of my prescriptions today”, she told the receptionist, sticking to the truth as closely as possible. “One of them isn't working as well as it should and I need a refill on another.”

The orange female gave her an annoyed glare and quirked an eyebrow as she pointed a finger at Sid. “And does your...pet...really need to be here for this Queen Poppy? This IS a place of healing you know. His presence is upsetting our other patients and I don't think I need to tell you just how bad he smells.”

Poppy stiffened as red hot fury coursed through her veins. While it was true that most Pop Trolls smelled very differently from Rock Trolls, the other tribes' personal scents were hardly rough on the senses. While Barb's strawberry smell was the closest to that of her people's, Riff's scent of toasted marshmallows was hardly out of place. But Sid...Sid smelled irresistible with his natural scent of well-cared for leather with a splash of sandalwood. It was dark and sensual, much like the male was himself and always caused the pink female to become extremely aroused at the merest whiff. 

Since neither leather nor sandalwood were odors her people disliked added to the fact that Sid had bathed twice that day could only mean that the receptionist was being a racist bitch. “I'm afraid I have no idea what you're referring to, but Sid stays with me.”, she declared airily, but with enough bite to let the other female know she was treading on thin ice. “I don't know if you've heard, but there's a monster out there, one of our own people no less, attacking other trolls. I've already lost most of one ear to him and I don't plan on losing the other.”

The orange Pop Troll lost her haughty expression as she glanced over to the queen's heavily bandaged ear and turned a slight green. “Oh, yes, I see”, she gulped as she desperately tried to keep from throwing up. “You make a good point. Just please keep him calm and clean up any accidents he may have on the floor.”

Sid barely managed to snag the back of Poppy's dress right as she tried to launch herself over the counter at the other female. Still fuming, she whirled around and glared balefully at her boyfriend, more out of anger at the receptionist's hateful comment than at him for stopping her from punching the receptionist. Reacting perfectly, the guitarist jerked backwards so hard that he almost fell.

“I'm-I'm sorry for touchin' you Queen Poppy”, the large Rocker whispered contritely as he shook in all too real looking fear. “I-It's just I'm gettin' in the way and I don't want the others to be mad at you 'cause of me.”

The pink female felt her anger die instantly, replaced by a soul-deep chill that felt as if someone had walked over her grave. Sid was a good actor, a damned good actor, and seeing him look at her like felt like a kick to the gut. Try as she might, the Pop Queen couldn't shake the thought of what would happen if her boyfriend was taken from her and tortured until his beaten terrified act became reality. While the likelihood of that happening was becoming less with each passing day, it still remained a very real possibility.

“It's okay sweetheart”, she reassured the guitarist with just the right amount of fondness to her voice. “It's better that you ask me now than go near trolls you shouldn't.”

Leaving the open ended statement hanging in the air, Poppy gently took Sid's hand and led him to a bench that was suspiciously vacant. The other patients watched the Rock Troll nervously, waiting to see if he'd go berserk or do something dangerous that would prove Branch's rumors were correct. However, the muscular Rocker was no fool. As the Pop Trolls waited for their appointments, the purple male was on his best behavior, politely answering questions from the anxious crowd, including several that had been extremely rude to ask.

Just as one of the last patients was leaving, a young Trolling launched himself out of his mother's glittery red hair and landed on the side of Sid's head. He froze in alarm as the room erupted in pure chaos. Pop Trolls screamed in fear alarm as the child, completely unconcerned and having the time of his young life, giggled at the soft and springy mass which he grabbed and pulled on as hard as he could.

Reality itself seemed to hold its breath as the Rock Troll quickly analyzed the situation with his agile mind before kneeling wordlessly at the frantic mother's feet. The glitter troll looked over at Poppy fearfully, waiting for her queen's calm nod before she started to extract her child from the guitarist's fluffy black locks. The toddler, clearly not happy with being evicted from his cozy new nest, started ripping at tearing at the large male's scalp as he fought back tooth and nail. Meanwhile Sid stayed perfectly still, his violet-red eyes closed and his ruggedly handsome features calm and peaceful, until the young glitter troll had been painfully extracted.

Just as the Trolling had been shoved back into his mother's hair, Poppy's name was finally called. Mentally giving a sigh of relief, she went to help Sid to his feet but stopped when she saw the elder glitter troll give the guitarist a hug of thanks before turning around and walking out the door. Feeling more optimistic than she'd had in months, the Pop Queen practically floated behind Synergy as they followed him into the exam room.

The lovers hovered over the polished wooden bench, waiting until the green male had handed the clipboard with the Pop Queen's information on it off to the doctor and left before sitting down. The silence began to feel oppressive as Moonbloom took her time reading the information on the chart before rifling through her medical record until Poppy was ready to scream. Finally after what felt like forever, the elder female turned and faced the two where were now sitting so close to together that they were touching. She gave them a slight smile and a rueful shake of her dark-blue haired head before the Pop Troll's expression turned grave.

“It says here that my stomach elixir is no longer working for you, is that correct?”, Moonbloom asked, voice heavy with concern. She waited until Poppy gave her a nervous nod before turning around and scribbling in her chart.

“I'll up the strength of the formula, but if this gets much worse, and I think that it might, I'm going to have to refer you to one of my Funk Troll colleagues on board Vibe City. They have far more advanced facilities than anything I have access to here. Personally I think being away from the village will do you some good, especially since I don't think the source of your stress is going to stop his shenanigans anytime soon.”

Poppy stiffened in horror, not quite sure what the older female knew, but knowing what Branch would do if he suspected that the doctor was against him. Watching the doctor warily as she continued writing detailed notes, the pink female threw caution to the wind and slid even closer to Sid until she was pressing as hard as she could against his muscular body. The large Rocker didn't say a word as he wrapped his arm lovingly around her shoulders. Leaning into his touch, the Pop Queen closed her eyes in bliss as her boyfriend gently nuzzled her hair. That was the moment when Moonbloom turned around, catching the couple in the act just as they pulled away from each other like they'd been burned. 

“Is that all you're here for today?”, the purple female asked innocently with a hint of a smile to her voice.

“Y-yes!”, Poppy squeaked before being nudged by an equally nervous Sid. “I-I mean, uh...no! I was hoping you-you could g-give me my birth control injection. You know! Just in case Branch and I...er...um...get...back...together again?”

“Smooth”, the guitarist whispered, earning him an elbow to the ribs.

Moonbloom gave the couple a flat unamused look and shook her head as Poppy grinned manically and did her best to look sincere. “Look, I don't care if you're having sex with tall, dark, and handsome over there. In fact, I think it's beautiful the way that you two obviously care about and love each other. But as your doctor, I order you not to have any intimate contact with Branch. That troll is dangerous and unless he's willing to work with a licensed mental health professional, I would go so far as advise you to have as little contact with him as possible.

Sid and Poppy gaped at each other in stuffed silence as the older female's words slowly sunk in. After a few moments, the pink female looked over at the doctor who was watching the couple nonjudgmental and had to clear her throat several times before she could speak.

“If Branch finds out that you know about him, there's a good chance he'll kill you or have one of his followers do it.”, she informed the other female, her voice low and serious. “He's already furious at what you've been telling the others about my ear.”

“Oh, I'm well aware”, Moonbloom laughed loftily, with a wave of her hand. “But enough about that. Let's talk about you. I'll be more than happy to give you your hormonal injection today, however if you   
two have already engaged in unprotected intercourse, you'll have to wait until your next cycle so we can be sure that you're not pregnant. 

Waves of embarrassment crashed over Poppy as her blush spread from her cheeks to her ears and on down her neck. Feeling like a Trolling that had gotten caught eating cupcakes before the party had started, she turned to Sid to find the Rock Troll slouched down in his seat, arms folded and appearing unconcerned. Despite his bravado, the pink female knew her boyfriend too well not to notice the slight tinge to his own cheeks and the slight droop of the ears that betrayed the fact that he was feeling much the same way.

“So, what the hell are we supposed to do?”, he asked nonchalantly with a toss of his fluffy black mane. “You can't really expect us not to fuck 'til then.”

The Pop Queen's blush deepened as her jaw dropped in horror at the guitarist's words. While Sid's attitude wouldn't be considered rude or inappropriate to other Rockers or hell, even to her, a Pop Troll would most definitely take offense. Now that they finally had a powerful ally on their side, the last thing they needed was to chase her away over a misunderstanding. Whipping her head back around, Poppy opened her mouth to offer an apology, only to find Moonbloom giving the muscular male a dazzling smile.

“Of course not, big boy!”, the older female exclaimed cheerfully. Getting up from her stool, the doctor walked over and gave him a motherly pat on his leather clad knee. “I'd never suggest such a thing. I know just how strong Rock Troll libidos can be! After last time I visited my long-distance boyfriend, Pantera, I had trouble walking for a week!”

Moonbloom paused when she noticed the pink female's wide-eyed slackjawed expression and gave a deep belly-laugh. “What? Do you really think you're the only one who's attracted to these sexy devils? I think you'd be surprised to find out just how many of our people who've supposedly gone off to 'find themselves', actually did so to be with or find lovers in other kingdoms.”

As the truth dawned on her, Poppy looked down at the floor, mind whirling. After their village had been rebuilt, quite a few Pop Trolls had gone off to what she'd thought were other places in her kingdom for meditation and reflection. Such journeys weren't uncommon for trolls who'd undergone a traumatic event or were on the cusp of a big life change and since they'd just lived through a war, the Pop Queen hadn't thought much of it at the time. It never occurred to her that some of her people may have fallen in love with members of the other tribes and their cultures. The revelation made her feel more love and peace towards her kind than she'd felt since the day she met Riff by the river, half-starved and grieving for his beloved Barb which now felt so long ago.

“How the fuck do you know Pantera?”, Sid asked in amazement as he gave the doctor a wide grin. “Motherfucker's been practically home bound since he got jacked up in the war!”

Moonbloom laughed again as she opened the door to one of her supply cabinets and began rummaging around inside. Taking out a small brown paper bag, she began shoving small multicolored squares inside until it was practically bursting before walking back over to the anxious couple. Shoving the bag into the guitarist's hands, she gave him a mischievous wink. 

“Who do you think saved his hand?”

Sid let out a roar of laughter as he fist bumped the older female and threw her a set of horns. “Gods, only that son of a bitch could get himself a girl while he's bleedin' out on the fucking ground. Dude's got a real gift.”

Still chuckling, the muscular Rocker looked into the bag, only to stop abruptly as his violet-red eyes widened comically. He snapped his gaze back up at the smug looking Pop Troll, his expression one of shock and outrage. “What the fuck?! Condoms?! I can't use these! I fucking hate condoms! Isn't there anything else?”

“It's all I have handsome”, Moonbloom informed him in her no-nonsense voice. “I know it isn't ideal, but it's better than creating a child when you aren't ready for one. I made sure to give you my entire supply of extra larges, so they should at least fit.”

The purple male looked so miserable that Poppy could help standing up and kissing him on his fluffy head. “It won't be for long Sid. I should start my period in about two weeks and then I can get my shot. After that, we can have all the bareback worry-free sex we want.”

Sid brightened up instantly at the thought, rising to his feet and shooting her a hot seductive smile. “Mmmmm”, he murmured, his voice deep and velvety as he nuzzled her jawline and let his good hand wander. “I still fuckin' hate condoms, but I love the sound of what you're sayin'. I guess I can put up with the damn things if it means I can fuck you silly.”

“Which I prefer you not do in my exam room”, Moonbloom interrupted dryly, causing the lovers to startle and give her a guilty look. “Don't worry, I know how it is. Pantera and I have quite a few stories of our own that I will absolutely not be sharing with you.”

Shaking her blue-haired head, the doctor gave them an indulgent grin as she pressed another small bag into the Pop Queen's hand. “You're going though a lot of stress right now and that can throw your cycle off, so don't be worried if you're a bit late. But if that does happen, I want you to take this home pregnancy test so we can be sure that's all it is.”

“What do I...uh...do with it?”, Poppy asked hesitantly, staring at the bag as if could come alive at any moment and bite her in the face. “I've never had to use one before.”

Moonbloom gave the pink female a motherly smile as she gently patted her on the arm. “Don't worry sweetheart, it's pretty fool proof. All you need to do is take the cap off and pee on the end first thing in the morning a few days after you're late. Then you just set it on the counter and wait for the results to appear in the little window. But regardless of whether you start your period or have a positive test, come see me. We'll work things out from there.”

The Pop Queen grinned at Sid as she shoved the test in her hair before enveloping the doctor in a hug. “Thank you so much”, she whispered gratefully as she buried her face in the crook of the older female's neck. “You don't know how much this means to us.”

Moonbloom gently rubbed Poppy's back soothingly as the young queen's tears soaked into her white lab coat. “Oh sweetie, I know. I can't promise that everything will be okay, but I promise that I'll do all that I can to help you and your friends.”

After they ended the hug, the two females continued to hold each other's hands, a common Pop Troll gesture of love and solidarity between family and close friends. As they reluctantly pulled away the doctor looked back over at Sid and focused on his bandaged hand. “While you're here, I'd really like to take a look at your boyfriend's hand. What did you say his name was again?”

“Sid Fret”, Poppy giggled happily, feeling as if she was introducing her sweetheart to a beloved Aunt. “His name is Sid Fret.”

OOOO(Sid)

Much to Sid's amusement, his girl didn't waste any time in moving their relationship to the next level. Almost as soon as they got home, the pink female became a whirlwind of movement and sound as she frantically started moving stuff from her room into his. Realizing that it would finish off her already ruined schedule, the guitarist quickly filled in their overjoyed friends. Realizing what was going on, Riff and Barb happily started working on the royal paperwork for the day, with the former sorting and filing and the latter reading the documents and forging the Pop Queen's name where appropriate.

While he tried to stay as chill and calm as he could on the outside, inside the large male was dancing with joy, thrilled at seeing just how much his beloved wanted to be with him. It bothered him to just stand by and watch his girl fret over how to arrange things in their new shared space, but he knew that the worse thing he could do was interfere by offering unsolicited advice or accidentally getting in her way. While Poppy was definitely unique and an amazing individual, the guitarist had been in far too many relationships not to recognize nesting instinct when he saw it. All females felt it to one degree or another when they moved into their mate's living space and the wisest course of action was to sit back, relax, and let her do what she needed to in order to feel safe and loved.

Following that sound advice, Sid left to go make lunch, keeping a watchful eye on the tiny pink female in case he was needed. After cutting up and throwing some nice skirt steak and letting it sit in marinade, the purple male went to work on Poppy's dinner. Picking a few leaves from various plants growing in tubs on the back porch, the purple male washed and added them to the nutritious mixture of vegetables which he placed inside the crisper for later. 

After checking in with his friends and making sure that his girl was doing okay, the guitarist went back into the kitchen feeling at peace. Smiling to himself, Sid quickly finished up the new vinaigrette he'd been experimenting on and mashed the fleshy tubers that the Rock Queen had been craving during her entire pregnancy. Cooking had always brought him happiness, but now that he was cooking for family again, it had become so much more.

Adding mushrooms and bell peppers to the marinade, Sid sang one of his favorite songs cooked the meat expertly, finishing dinner in record time. He plated the food in the kitchen, adding extra flourishes, making the simple meal look absolutely breathtaking. Excitedly bringing the heaping plates out to the table, the purple male felt his spirits waver when he called out to Poppy only to be ignored as she fretfully went about her work.

Seeing his expression, Riff quickly snagged his and Barb's meal from his hands. Placing the plate in front of the ravenous female, the drummer gave his friend a smile and shrug. “Hey man, it's all cool. It took Barb like four days before she got comfortable in our room and her stuff was already in it! Don't worry about the clean up. I got your back. Just go support her and everything will be fine, I promise.”

Buoyed by Riff's words Sid placed the salad back in the fridge and climbed up on his bed to eat his own meal. He happily watched Poppy work as he ate, amused and grateful that even in her frenzy, the tiny pink female was being extraordinarily careful in not overstepping her boundaries. Nothing that he loved was moved, hidden, or tossed to the side like many of his other lovers had done in the past. Instead she placed her things around his or asked his permission to rearrange things. In order to help her, the guitarist quickly emptied out two of his dresser drawers while his girl was gone in order to spare her some stress and was rewarded when she squealed in delight upon discovering them ten minutes later.

Sid was reclining against the headboard of the bed, his violet-red eyes almost closed as he drifted into a light doze when Poppy finally felt like she was done. Feeling something heavy crash into his chest, the muscular male startled, crushing his girl to his chest instinctively when he caught her sweet scent. The Rocker's black fluffy hair had poofed up to twice it's normal volume as he bared his sharp deadly teeth and growled at the potential threat before he realized what had happened. Giving his girlfriend an amused look of reproach, he joined her in her laughter, feeling more blessed than he'd felt in his entire life.

After Poppy had eaten her dinner, the couple celebrated this newest chapter in their lives by doing what Sid love to do the most. Fuck. They'd fallen onto the large bed, now decorated with dark blue bedding and sparkly pink throw pillows, ripping and tearing at each other's clothing until they were naked and in each other's arms. The only thing that slightly dampened his enthusiasm was the condoms. 

The guitarist could tell that his girl felt the same way as soon as he entered her, making her stiffen in discomfort and give him a look of sad understanding. Normally be able to feel every centimeter of her tight slick inner walls with his dick's incredibly sensitive mushroom shaped head and the soft rows of nubs that ran under his shaft, much to both of their delights. However now everything dull and indistinct and much less intimate.

Things did get better once Sid had the tiny pink female straddle his lap, allowing him to slam his massive cock up into her pussy with an intensity that they both enjoyed, but it still wasn't the same. The only thing that made it tolerable was knowing that the damned little pieces of latex was what made it possible for them to make love and not have to worry about just what would happen if he managed to get her pregnant. Afterwards they talked of their fears, hopes and dreams as they cuddled, held tight together by the guitarists massive knot.

As the muscular Rocker drifted off to sleep, he held Poppy close and wondered just what he'd done right to have the Gods of Rock make his fondest dream come true.

OOOO(Poppy)

Poppy had been taught since birth that in order to be a good queen, she'd have to give 110% of herself at all times, even to the detriment of her health and happiness. It had been a steadfast rule that she'd held sacred all of her life, never slowing down even when the stress and workload literally started to kill her. She'd been surprised and confused when she'd first talked to Barb about 'queen stuff' and had that credos soundly rejected. 

Following her friend's advice, she'd spent months watching as her Rock Family work together, splitting tasks so that no one troll was overwhelmed, and how it benefited them all. It had taken quite a while, but thanks to their love and support along with the big step of moving in with Sid, the pink female was finally able to see the toxic ideology for what it was and finally break free.

Refreshed and energized, the Pop Queen woke the next morning in her boyfriend's arms, determined to make the changes needed for both her health and for the health of their relationship. Almost as soon as she'd finished eating a romantic breakfast with Sid, she marched down to her office to start setting healthy boundaries for the first time in her life. Her aids watched her warily, sensing something was different, which almost made the pink female waver until she felt Riff's large strong hand on her back, helping to give her the strength to go on.

Her first order of business was delegating out the small menial tasks that added so many extra hours to her workload. Calling the various Pop Trolls to her large desk, Poppy handed out lists which detailed their work for the day, much to their surprise. Thrilled at the chance to redeem themselves after the correspondence fiasco, her assistants were more than willing to start pulling their weight, filling the large pod with a flurry of activity. 

The next step in the plan proved to much harder for the sweet-hearted female. Steeling her resolve, the Pop Queen turned down any frivolous request that her people brought her and limited which invitations she accepted to what would reasonably fit in for the day. Her kind refusals were met with shock and anger at first, but as she went on to explain where to find the resources they needed in order to figure out their problems for themselves, most left excited with determined smiles on their faces.

Those simple changes were enough to cause a ripple effect that could be felt after only a few days. As more and more trolls started settling their petty disputes amongst themselves and enlisting other friends to help with chores, even fewer came to see Poppy and only as a last resort. While some Pop Trolls were angry with the change, most of her people were happier than they'd ever been as their confidence and self esteem started to rise. Suddenly the pink female's heavy workload was cut in half, cutting her the amount of time she worked from up to nineteen hours a day down to ten. For the first time since she could remember, Poppy ate a leisurely lunch at work as she caught up on her favorite fantasy scrapbook, not feeling guilty in the least at taking some time for herself. 

Emboldened by all of the positive changes, the Pop Queen decided to take on one of her biggest causes of stress; the Council. Although there were no written records of when the organization was first founded, legends hinted that it had been during the dark time when the other tribes had taken back their Strings that her people had stolen and had fled to parts unknown. All important laws and decisions since had been run by the eleven elected officials that made up the Council, helping to ensure that no king or queen could ever make such a terrible mistake again.

While Poppy wasn't technically bound by law to follow their advice and could even disregard their wishes, Pop Troll society as a whole would see it as promoting disharmony which was something to be avoided at all costs. Branch pulling the Council's strings brought a new element of danger to every summons and demand that they heaped on the young queen to the point where disobedience could literally cause the death of all that she loved. Even still, the pink female refused to be made to feel like a naughty Trolling when she'd done nothing wrong.

When the next summons came the following week, the Pop Queen confidently swept into the large audience chamber in full royal dress with her head held high. Standing tall and proud, she let the Council members' scornful vitriolic comments and disdain wash over her instead of internalizing the guilt and hate like she normally did until the Pop Trolls had screamed themselves hoarse. As the members sat in their massive throne-like chairs trying to catch their breath, Poppy drew on the power and dignity that came with her station and coldly asked if they were finished. As the astonished silence grew, the pink female announced that she was done with them for the day and left. 

The next day's meeting ended much the same way as did the next until the Council finally realized that Poppy was though with letting them bully her. While it didn't lesson any of the danger she and her Rock family were in, it did shorten the meetings from a six hour screaming session to an hour where they actually got things done. It was a small victory in the grand scheme of things, but at least it was a victory.

To say that Branch wasn't happy with the sudden turn of events would have been an understatement. The teal male was absolutely livid with all of the positive changes Poppy had made, which according to Smidge's informants, had cost him quite a few followers. These numbers were further chipped away by the supportive and caring words from Doctor Moonbloom and the growing support of her old friends. According to the enforcer's charts, the survivalist's support was down from around eighty percent to less than fifty. While that was a great reason to celebrate, it was still sobering when one realized just how many trolls that was given that the village housed most of their tribe's population.

While Smidge and Satin had been the first of the Snack Pack to change their ways of thinking, thankfully they weren't the last. Guy Diamond had taken his son's words to heart and done a complete one-eighty, shedding his xenophobic racist beliefs and becoming one of Poppy and the Rock Trolls most fervent supporters. The first time the glitter troll had come to their aid had been one of the most terrifying experiences of the pink female's life.

It had been Riff's turn to accompany Poppy as she finished up a few tasks around the village before going home. Knowing that the active male relished any chance to leave the pod and stretch his legs, she'd gone to the market to trade for some craft items instead of having them delivered like normal. Things had gone surprisingly well as the two friends went from stall to stall, trading hugs and nick-nacks made by her Rock family for scented pine cones, glitter, dyed leather, and metal bells in order to make decorations for the Winter Solstice.

They were walking along sipping hot apple cider while comparing their tribes different takes on the mutual holiday and telling silly stories when things went horribly wrong. Poppy hadn't noticed that anything was off until the drummer suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her close to his broad chest. Spooked, she had looked up at his face, noting his grave expression just as she realized that everything had gone silent. The marketplace which had been filled to bursting just moments before was now completely devoid of trolls, lending it a spooky, almost haunted feel as thunder rumbled in the dark clouds overhead. Unfortunately it didn't remain that way for long.

oooo(flashback begins)

Riff pressed Poppy protectively his lanky body as trolls surrounded them, appearing out of nowhere as if summoned by some dark magic, their faces filled with rage and disgust. It was obvious which side they supported, even before they started pulling out various weapons made of metal and stone from their hear. Only one troll could have taught the mob how to blend so seamlessly into the environment and mask their sound so completely. But even knowing who to expect, it didn't make the teal Pop Troll's entrance any less terrifying.

“Hey, Poppifer, how's it going?”, Branch asked conversationally as he swung down from the tall trees overhead to land mere feet in front of the two friends. “I see you're taking one of your dogs out for a walk. I have to admit, you've always been a far better pet owner than I have. But then, you've got a lot in common with dumb animals, don't you?”

The Pop Queen quivered in rage at the slight towards Riff, the emotion helping to push back her rising fear. “Cut the crap, Branch. What do you want?”, she snapped warily. “I'm too busy to play your little juvenile games today.”

Rather than intimidating the angry armed mob like she'd hoped, Branch's followers seemed to find Poppy's defiance amusing more than anything else. The survivalist gave his former lover the condescending smile she hated so much as he encouraged the crowed as they laughed and jeered. His blue eyes held an unholy gleam as he basked in their adoration until his expression grow bored. As Branch held up his hand, the mob silenced instantly.

“Why, games are exactly why I'm here!”, he purred, almost hypnotically. “I've noticed that you've been acting like an uppity little bitch lately. Ditching your duties as queen, talking back to the Council, as well as spewing nasty things about me and the filth you keep in your pod.

Honestly, I'm a little disappointing in you Poppy. One would think that you'd have gotten this whole 'queen thing' down by now, but you keep insisting on playing these insipid little games. I've been pretty lenient with you up until now, but I think it's about time that me and mine taught you a little lesson in responsibility and humility. For the good of everyone of course.”

The Pop Queen felt her hair poof out in fright as Branch and his mob stalked closer, constricting the circle until they were close enough for her to feel their warm breaths on her chilly pink skin. Branch laughed in delight at her fear as they started to violently shove and jab sharp objects into the friends' bodies. Riff dropped all pretenses of subservience as growled menacingly and bared his teeth in threat as he swept the pink female off the ground in a futile attempt to get her out of harms way.

“Poppy, I don't know how we're going to get out of this one.”, the drummer whispered hoarsely, his despairing words almost lost in the screams and howls of the crowd. “I'm so sorry I let you down.”

Gritting her teeth, Poppy fruitlessly tried to force out the words that she was screaming inside of her head, desperate to let her friend know that none of this was his fault. She'd been the one blissfully going about her day, basking in her successes and not staying alert and protecting him like she should have been. That if only she'd smarter, she would have seen the trap for what it was. 

As the first troll raised an metal-banded wooden club over his head, all the pink female could do was let out a shuddering breath of defeat. Riff looked at her with tear filled blue eyes and cradled her to his shoulder, giving love and comfort as well as blocking out the horrible sight of what was to come. As the two friends waited for the first blow to fall, a loud inappropriately happy voice cut through the sounds of violence.

“Ah! There you are!”, shouted the overly dramatic voice that Poppy knew so well.”I've been looking all over for you!”

Opening her pink eyes, the Pop Queen watched numbly as Guy Diamond moved effortlessly through the crowd until he was standing next to them at the center. Smiling as if he'd just won 'Glitter Troll of the Year' for the sixth time running, the silvery male slung his arm around Riff's shoulders like they were long lost buddies. The Rock Troll froze, his expression a heartbreaking mixture of sheer terror and despair as the other male posed for the crowd before pulling them into a group hug.

“A little birdie told me that YOU were the troll who saved our wonderful queen during her most darkest hour!”, Guy grinned to no one in particular. “That after she was brutally attacked by that irredeemably evil monster of a Pop Troll, you selflessly saved her life by cleansing the terrible wound and expertly sewing her back together!”

Branch stared at the glitter troll in open-mouthed disbelief while he made a sound that fell somewhere between a cat hacking up a hairball and someone getting punched in the stomach. The look was there and gone in an instant, but the damage had already been done. His formerly loyal crew were starting to murmur uneasily amongst themselves, not sure what to make of this newest development.

Clenching his jaw, the survivalist narrowed his eyes as he tried to control the damage. “Guy, I'm afraid that you've been the butt end of a bad joke”, he scoffed loudly, waving a hand like one would do when confronted by a horrible odor. “It's common knowledge that only Pop Trolls think and act in an intelligent manner. Even the mere idea that this animal could practice medicine is simply laughable. You have to face the fact that no matter how much we may want to try and anthropomorphize them, the other tribes are just too uninvolved to be considered equals like that ”

“How dare you”, the silvery male seethed furiously, his entire demeanor changing in the blink of an eye. “My son is a Hip-Hop Troll.”

Branch's followers silenced instantly, making the deep angry rumble coming from the glitter troll sound all the more ominous. Suddenly Guy grinned, showing far too many teeth to be polite as he leaned into the teal Pop Troll's personal space.

“Funny. That sounds exactly like what a sadistic psychopath who gets off on biting chunks out of sweet and defenseless trolls would say.”

All of the good humor and condescending superiority disappeared from Branch's face. “Watch it, Guy”, the monster growled, low and deadly. “Or you won't have that defective little brat to worry about anymore.”

Instead of back down at seeing what the survivalist had become, Guy Diamond crouched low to the ground and bared his teeth in a terrifying display of anger. “If you come near him, I promise I'll make sure you won't have anything left to rape the Rock Queen with.”

Just when it seemed like a bloody confrontation was inevitable, the Gods of Music decided to intervene. With a bright flash of lightning and a loud crack of thunder, the dark clouds that had filled the sky since the previous morning opened up, pouring down a deluge of freezing rain. Screaming, the gathered Pop Trolls fled the open field, trying to get to their pods before the weather got even worse. Poppy saw Branch for an instant as he glared at Guy and then at her before being swallowed up by the multicolored crowd.

The danger gone, at least for now, the three trolls fled for cover. Once they were a safe distance away from the site of the ambush, the group stopped under a beautiful broad leafed shrub to use as shelter from the sheets of water that continued to fall around them. Poppy watched the beautiful spectacle contemplatively for a few minutes as she caught her breath before turning to her former friend and rescuer.

“That was a very reckless thing to do, Guy”, she told the silver male as she opened her arms in a loving invitation. “Branch wasn't lying. He's more than capable of doing what he promised.”

“Doing the right thing is never easy”, he sighed bitterly as he eagerly accepted the Pop Queen's hug. “Especially when you've fucked up as badly as I have.”

Stepping back, the male glitter troll took both of Poppy's small hands in his and looked her directly in the eye. “I'm so sorry Poppy”, he lamented mournfully as his light blue eyes filled with terrible guilt and shame. “I-I used to think that I was a good judge of character, but I see that I was wrong. It was I who was the villain, hating and looking down on others who weren't like me and it was trolls like you and Riff who were the heroes, preaching love and accepting all of the wonderful differences we have between us.

It took almost losing my son to realize what I bigot I was! I'm proud to be the father of a Hip-Hop Troll. Even though I can't fully understand or feel a connection to his music, thanks to you, I finally realized that I don't have to in order to appreciate the fact that HE does. Tiny's happiness means so much more to me than whatever claims of superiority, hate and other bullshit Branch spews out of his ass.”

Pausing to let his words sink in, Guy turned to Riff and grabbed his rough calloused hands in a similar gesture of sincerity. “Riff, I owe you and your people more than just an apology”, he told the drummer solemnly, kindly not mentioning just how badly the other male had flinched at his touch. “I may not have been amongst those who attacked you, but I've still used my considerable influence to the same effect. I'm attempting to undo as much of the damage that I've caused as I can, but if there's anything, anything at all that I can do to try and make amends, please don't hesitate to ask.”

Poppy couldn't help but hold her breath as the drummer pulled the black beanie from his head and studied Guy Diamond with deeply contemplative blue eyes. While Riff was normally a peaceful loving soul who'd rather settle grievances over an awesome jam session, having to stand by and watch as the love of his life was repeatedly raped and beaten in front of him had taken it's toll in ways that made the Pop Queen sick to her heart.

After a few minutes of tense silence, the lanky gray male gave a despondent sigh and shook his head. “If you're serious about this dude, what I need most is someone to help us protect the girls. Barb...I love her, man, more than anything else in the world. But that fucking monster...he waits until Poppy leaves and comes in with his friends and just...hurts her...and...and...”

Riff broke off with a sob, turning his head away as he wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his worn fingerless glove. “They force me 'an Sid to just stand there an' watch! I'm so scared that they'll go too far and kill Barb or one of the kids and there's nothin' I can fucking do!”

Guy stood there listening, his expression one of horror as he gently rubbed the Rock Troll's back. “Say no more!”, he interjected smoothly with a suspicious hitch to his voice. “I'll have some of my friends watch your pod when Poppy's away from now on. That way when Branch and his gang of sadistic monsters show up, I'll be right there waiting for him. I doubt they'll be so willing to injure a pregnant female when there are other Pop Trolls there to witness it. I may not be able to fully stop him from mating with your girlfriend, but I can make it awkward as hell!”

“Thanks man”, Riff half laughed, half sobbed in relief. “You have no idea just how much this means to us.”

Thrilled beyond measure by the turn of events, Poppy enveloped Guy in a long hug before flinging herself at the drummer and plastering herself against his side. While she and Smidge had done their best to discourage the survivalist from allowing his followers to have sex with barb, legally there wasn't anything she could do. As long as the Rock Queen told her that she'd consented to the group sex, Branch was in the free and clear. It didn't matter that the pregnant female wouldn't look her in the eye or how she'd glace over at Riff, going a sickly lavender as she trembled in fear.

The Rock Troll gave her a bright grin as he bent low to return the hug before he suddenly stiffened in her embrace. “Oh! Poppy also needs!”, he began, only to be cut off by the other male.

“Don't worry, Riff! I promise you that we've got Poppy covered!”, Guy informed them with a smug grin. “I, along with many like minded individuals, have been hard at work, spreading the light of truth in order to dispel the darkness that has overtaken our people. No longer are we willing to sit back and let Branch spread his poisonous lies unopposed or allow him to injure our beloved queen and our dear Hard Rock cousins!”

oooo(flashback ends)

Guy Diamond, true to his word, used his natural showmanship and charm to help sway even more trolls away from Branch's line of thinking. Attitudes continued to rapidly change almost over night, with most Pop Trolls attempting to at least be civil to Poppy's Rock family whenever they were out with her. The glitter trolls in particular became the Rock Trolls greatest fans, with the mother who's child had climbed in Sid's hair being the most vocal.

The Branch's anger continued to grow as it became harder to find takers when he tried to whore Barb out as he paraded her around the village practically in the nude. Instead of praise, he was met with harsh ridicule and angry shouts as trolls bundled the heavily pregnant female up in order to protect her from the increasingly chill winds. Mobs began to fizzle out before they had a chance to start, with the survivalist's allies losing their lust for violence as they were berated and booed by friends and family alike.

The highest point came one day right out of the blue some. Poppy had taken her entire Rock family shopping with her one surprisingly warm and sunny day, hoping that lifting of their spirits outweighed all of the risks. She'd almost panicked when a small group of Pop Trolls suddenly surrounded them, begging for the Rock Trolls to play them so music. Barb had barely managed to stutter out an affirmative before the three were provided with instruments.

The Pop Queen hadn't been that surprised when one of the crowd started pulling pieces of a simple drum kit from out of his hair for Riff to borrow. Drums were commonly used in their music and there were quite a few Pop Trolls who could fit a surprising amount of things in their hair-space. The amps and bass had been were a little more of a surprise, given the instrument shortage, but the best was yet to come.

The Rock Queen had been standing close to Riff nervously fiddling with the mic Poppy had provided for her when a small aqua female named Rhapsody had shyly approached her. Barb had given her an encouraging smile that quickly changed to one of astonishment when the other troll pulled an Ibanez electric guitar from out of her silvery hair. Poppy had felt just as stunned as the pregnant female at the sight of the sleek black and silver instrument that practically screamed Heavy Metal and Rock 'N' Roll.

Electric guitars made by the famous luthier Ibanez were hard to come by, even in the Kingdom of Hard Rock. Finding one of the coveted instruments in Pop Village was almost too impossible to be believed. However it wasn't it's existence that had surprised Poppy, but rather that Rhapsody had openly admitted to owning one in front of the growing crowd. The act would most certainly put her on Branch's radar and could potentially cost the light blue female her life.

Even still, Rhapsody had raised her head defiantly as she handed the guitar to the Rock Queen, ignoring the dark looks and disapproving whispers from some of the gathered trolls. Barb thanked her quietly, her husky voice full of reverence and gratitude before lovingly hugging the instrument to her chest. After a few heartbreakingly sweet moments and a few shed tears, the purple female quickly tuned it by ear, adjusted the amp settings and started in on a song. Even before hearing they heard the first note, Riff and Sid joined in, the three friends not needing to speak even a single word.

While Poppy wouldn't have suggested “Welcome to the Jungle”, if she'd been asked, she had to admit that the song was a big hit. The Pop Trolls had stood in stunned silence as they listened to the first verse before breaking out into dance. When it became painfully obvious even to her that her people had no idea what to do with such a fast and heavy beat, the pink female gave in and did what her heart had been screaming at her to do. She started headbanging. When the multicolored crowd saw what their queen was up to, they happily joined in. It was a truly magical moment when the two cultures came together for the first time, united by the sheer love of music.

When it was over, Barb threw the Pop Queen her microphone, just as she and Riff started in on one of the softer Pop-Rock songs they'd been working on just the night before. That song went over even better than the first, with more and more of her people joining in on the fun until the crowd had grown into a full blown audience. Hearing the cheers of hundreds of trolls lifted Poppy's heart even higher as the new genre transcended what either music could do alone.

As Poppy started to perform “Call Me Maybe” to the delight of the crowd, she felt a dark and malevolent gaze upon her body. Feeling a horrific jab of pain in her stomach, the pink female refused to turn around, instead choosing continue to sing her heart out. After all of the pain and fear that Branch had caused her and her Rock family, the Pop Queen refused to let him steal this from them too. There might be hell to pay later, but for now with her people on their side, they would be safe.

Barb decided to end the small concert by preforming 'Nothing Else Matters', a slow metal love ballad to thunderous applause. Exhausted, the pregnant female had returned the gorgeous electric guitar to it's owner with a melancholic smile, hug, and sincere words of thanks. Rhapsody had carefully stowed it away in her silvery locks before giving her the Rocker's horns and whispering something into her ear that brought tears to the Rock Queen's eyes.

Although Poppy kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, things continued to go well with days filled with family, friends, and awesome music while her nights were filled with Sid, cuddling and mind-blowing sex. With things finally going so well for the pink female and her beloved Rock family, it was almost inevitable that some things would slip through the cracks as time seemed to fly by. 

OOOO

Poppy sang at the top of her lungs as she cleaned the bathroom nearest her old bedroom which Sid and Riff had converted into a music studio. Scrubbing the toilet vigorously, she belted out her version of the 'death growls' to one of her favorite songs Sid had taught her. The new way of singing hadn't been easy to learn, but as the Heavy Metal music flowed though her soul as naturally as did her native Pop, the pink female knew the trouble had been more than worth it.

“In time all things become clear  
Thin line as I proceed to follow  
I see what is preferred

Divide my destiny, the only thing that matters  
Are the ones I left behind  
Their words ring out with truth

Comfort your cries no longer  
We are through, no one to pick you up  
When you fall down  
We who watch and feel your pain

Nor will I allow those around me  
To poison my judgment for I know what is best for me  
I am able to decide just what is my destiny”

Lost in the music, the Pop Queen absentmindedly nudged the free standing shelves behind her, causing a small white package to fall and go skittering across the tiled floor. Still moving to the beat, she gracefully bent down and swept it up, only to free when she saw what was in her hand.

“Oh, fuck me”, Poppy whimpered in horror at the bold red lettering on the package that seemed to move and writhe right before her eyes.

Quickly doing the mathematics in her head, the pink female felt a horrific stab of pain in her stomach as she realized that her menstrual cycle was late, as in almost a month late. Forcing herself to breathe, the Pop Queen frantically shredded the thin cardboard until she held the pregnancy in her shaking hands. Pulling off the cap, she frantically kicked off her rainbow colored panties before sitting on the gleaming porcelain toilet and desperately willed herself to go.

Nothing happened for several agonizing seconds until Poppy forced relaxed enough for her stream to begin to flow. Following the directions to the letter, she held the test in the urine, almost dropping it in her distress, before placing it on a clean towel next to the sink. Eyeing the white stick as if it could come to life and bite her at any moment, the Pop Queen quickly cleaned herself up and dressed. Having done all she could for the moment, the pink female could only stand there shivering as she waited for the tiny piece of plastic to reveal her future.

OOOO(Sid)

“Where is the moment we needed the most?  
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost  
They tell me your blue sky's faded to gray  
They tell me your passion's gone away  
And I don't need no carrying on

You stand in the line just to hit a new low  
You're faking a smile with the coffee to go  
You tell me your life's been way off line  
You're falling to pieces every time  
And I don't need no carrying on!”

Sid proudly sang the Pop song with a happy grin, his rich baritone filling the pod with warmth and joy. Pointedly ignoring the scandalized looks Barb threw at him as she sat embroidering a baby blanket at the small wooden table in the breakfast nook, the guitarist continued to cut up vegetables and meat for lunch and enjoyed the song for what it was. While the music didn't have the same feeling or move him like his beloved Rock and Metal did, the purple male loved the vibrancy and brightness it brought to his soul despite the melancholic lyrics.

He'd been reading up on Pop musical theory over the past few days, comparing it to his own tribe. The differences were glaringly obvious with the biggest being that Rock focused on a particular subculture while Pop tried to appeal to the broadest audience possible. But despite how different they appeared be, the large Rocker had discovered that the two genres did in fact have a few things in common. 

The most obvious similarity of course was that both musics had plenty of songs that focused on common life experiences such as love, loss, and longing. But after digging deep, Sid was thrilled to find that both Rock and Pop were actually splinter groups off an even older tribe that was called 'The Blues'. That connection could still be seen in many of their songs that followed what was called 'the blues progression', where the IV and V chords were almost always dominant seventh chords with the tonic chord most often being a major triad.

Sid had been so shocked and amazed last night that he knew he wouldn't get a wink of sleep if he didn't tell someone about what he'd found. Carefully slipping out of bed, he made sure he hadn't woken his exhausted girlfriend before barging into his best friends' room without even bothering to knock. Barb had listened to his excited rambling with half-lidded eyes and an annoyed murderous expression which he assumed came from the fact that'd interrupted what had been an enthusiastic bout of sex. Riff had merely given him a dopey grin and a shrug of his gray shoulders before he continued to make love to the Rock Queen, not really caring that hie was was still in the room as was typical among friends in the Hard Rock Tribe. 

A high-pitched blood curdling scream tore through the pod, ripping Sid from his amused thoughts. Dropping the knife, the large male bolted from the kitchen, allowing instinct to take over the instant he recognized Poppy's voice. Skidding through the living area past a pale looking Riff who leapt out of the way, the guitarist wasn't able to slow down enough to prevent him from colliding into the closed bathroom door. 

Giving his black fluffy haired head a shake, a dazed Sid sucked in a deep breath and carefully tapped on the wood. “Sweetstuff, are you okay?”, he called out desperately, his voice sounding hoarse and distorted even to his own ears.

To his distress, Poppy started crying and wouldn't stop no matter how many comforting words he tried to offer. The muscular Rocker stood there panting as both Barb and Riff tried to coax her out until he couldn't deny his protective nature any longer. Slamming the door open so hard that it almost broke off its' hinges, the guitarist was horrified to see his girl curled up in a ball on the tiled floor. Creeping closer, he bent down to touch the sobbing female only to pull back when she cringed away.

“What's wrong baby?”, Sid breathed, his deep voice barely above a whisper. “ Are you hurt? Did someone do something to you? Please tell me how to help you!”

His violet-red eyes widened in confusion as the pink female only sobbed harder, her tiny body shaking violently with her grief. Seeing no other option, Sid grabbed a fluffy pink towel from the linen shelf and carefully wrapped Poppy in it before picking her up. Being mindful even in his feral state to not jar his girlfriend and worsen any possible injury, the guitarist carefully carried her into their room and wiggled up onto the bed.

As Poppy continued to cry hysterically, Sid opened the makeshift blanket just long enough to check for sparkly blood before wrapping her back up like a burrito. Singing whatever song popped into his head, the purple male rocked the small troll back and forth until he heard a soft knock on the door. The large Rocker looked despairingly into the pink eyes of his own queen as the pregnant female regarded the two lovers with deep concern.

“I-I don't know what's wrong Barb”, the guitarist rasped, his accent more pronounced in his distress. “She-she won't talk to me or nothin'!”

The Rock Queen looked over at Poppy, her expression one of sorrow as she shook her head and let out a long weary sigh. “Oh Pink...”

Waddling over to the pair, the heavily pregnant female hefted herself up on the tall bed with a little help from Sid. Terrified, he watched as Barb rubbed her face against his bare chest in a rare display of love and affection before gently stroking his girlfriend's towel covered side. To the guitarist's surprise, Poppy began to relax, leaning into the other queen's touch almost as if she couldn't get enough. There was something to the way that both females were acting that sent a jolt of fear though his heart.

“You-you know somethin', don't you”, Sid stammered fearfully, not entirely sure how he knew. The purple female gave him a heartbroken look before turning away, causing the large Rocker to growl low in his throat. “Gods damn it Barb! That's not fuckin' fair! You can't keep this to yourself! You hafta tell me somethin'!”

As the seconds ticked away in silence Sid had to fight the urge to grab the Rock Queen and shake her as hard as he could. Gritting his teeth, he tried to quiet his troubled mind by reminding himself that Barb would only have their best interests at heart. Sighing defeatedly, the tall Rocker circled his free arm around the pregnant female and pulled her close, returning the love and affection she'd shown him and then some while he held his weeping girlfriend in the other.

“I-I'm not sure how to tell you this man”, Barb whispered hesitantly as Poppy laced fingers with the purple female. “But, um, I-I think Poppy's...uh...”

“Pregnant.”

The muscular Rocker snapped his head up so fast that it hurt to find Riff sanding solemnly in the doorway gingerly holding a slender white rectangle in his large gray hand. The drummer gave him a grim look as he walked over and handed the object to the guitarist with a shake of his head. “Found this under the bathroom sink.”

Sid shakily looked at the used pregnancy test as his body suddenly went numb and a high pitched whining sounded in his ears. Pregnant. His girl was pregnant. With his kid. Although the purple male had become sexually active practically since he'd hit puberty, he'd never actually given more than a passing thought at becoming a father.

His own dad had walked out after his mother had fallen ill due to complications in her pregnancy. Sid had only been six years old when the dark blue male had stormed into the master bedroom where he'd sat at his mother's side trying to comfort her as she slept fitfully on the bed. Looking at the two trolls, Chakal had coldly announced that he was done with the both of them and then had just...left. The tall Rocker could still remember just how hard he'd cried as his father had walked out the front door, not even sparing a single backwards glance at the tiny family he'd so casually thrown away.

While Chakal leaving had completely gutted Sid at the time, the knowledge that the love of her life had abandoned them had hit his mother far worse. Sylent struggled with day to day life for months, doing her best to care for him until the purple Trolling come home one day to find her collapsed in a pool of her own blood. The miscarriage had been the last wound his mother's gentle soul could take, leaving her bedridden from then on. Despite everything that the doctors tried, the silver female kept fading with each passing day until she finally died of her heartbreak two years later.

Despite what had happened, Sid did have father figures when he was growing up. Exdeos, the bassist of the Death Metal band, Kataklysm had befriended the young troll around the time the Rocker had turned seven years old. He'd been in the marketplace at the time, trying his best to play the surprisingly complex melodies he'd written in the vain hope that someone would consider the music a fair trade for the food and medicine his mom needed at home. While the other Rock Trolls would have happily given him anything he needed if they'd known his situation, Sid couldn't stand the though of taking the easy way out like his fucking loser of a father had done when he'd left them. But no matter how hard her tried, he just couldn't force malnourished body to form the chords on the too-big guitar well enough to produce more than a discordant jumble of noise.

Exdeos had heard the plaintive sounds and had realized that something was terribly wrong. Sid had been extremely skittish and distrustful of the famous heavy metalist at first, more used to being though of as a pest and a nuisance rather than a person. In fact it took several months of the entire band consistently ensuring that the small family had enough to eat, Sylent got the medical care she needed, and cleaning the filthy subterranean home from top to bottom before the small purple male let them into his heat. Soon the bassist and his husband became the fathers Sid never had, which became official after Chakal refused to take him in after his mother's death.

Everything Sid knew, from guitar work, to setting up and rewiring a sound system, to the proper way to treat boy and girlfriends, he'd learned from them. His dads had been quick to praise him for what he got right and just as fast to correct him when he'd done something wrong. Together with the rest of the band, the guitarist had traveled from one end of the Hard Rock Kingdom to the other multiple times as Kataklysm grew in popularity. Eventually he'd met and befriended a grieving Riff when he was thirteen and formed his first Heavy Metal band at sixteen that got him noticed by King Thrash completely on their own merits.

Sid was still staring at the positive test as he held his grilfriend in his arms when he suddenly realized that three things had become immutable facts in his life. The first was that he loved Poppy more than anyone in the world. The second was that he was more than willing to step up and become the father Chakal never was. The third was that he'd be willing to walk through fire and flames and straight down into hell in order to keep Poppy and his unborn offspring safe.

Looking down at the tiny grieving female, the guitarist wracked his brain, trying to thnk of anything that he could say that would help sooth her.

“It's okay, baby”, he whispered roughly, his own head still whirling at the unexpected turn of events. “We'll figure this out somehow.”

But no matter how hard he tried, Poppy continued to weep silently, much to Sid's dismay. As the guitarist lowered his large head and gently nuzzled the side of the pink female's face and now healed ear, he started to wonder if the cause of her distress actually laid with him. Even though Barb considered him to be a part of the royal family, he very much doubted that the Pop Trolls would see him that way. 

The Hard Rock tribe as a whole treated their royalty very differently than it seemed Pop Trolls did with theirs. While his people respected Barb's position and went out of the way to let the Rock Queen know just how much they loved and adored her, the Rockers didn't treat the purple female with the same awed reverence that Poppy's subjects treated her. Or at least how they'd treated her before Branch's horrible actions had come to light.

It didn't take a genius to see that Sid was about as far from Pop Royalty as a troll could get. Once his girl's people found out that she was pregnant with the offspring of a Rock Troll, there'd be hell to pay, even before factoring in just how bad the survivalist's reaction would be. Then there was also the fact that any Trolling they'd create together would almost certainly take after him in some way, further alienating both Poppy and the baby from her tribe. Now that he was thinking about it, just because the pink female loved his Rock Troll features, it didn't mean she'd want her own children to have them.

Trying to keep the despair and grief he felt out of his voice, the guitarist had to clear his throat several times before he was able to speak. “Poppy, sweetheart. I'm not...not gonna force you to stay with me or anything, if that's what's worrying you. I'd never trap you like that.”

Ignoring the horrified looks his friends were giving him, Sid had to pause as his voice broke and to blink away tears as he gently rubbed the tiny female's back for what may have been the last time. “I-I can even take the kid with me if you don't want him, you know, if you tell me to leave. I'll do anything you want, just please don't cry anymore.”

The guitarist involuntarily jerked back as Poppy moved faster than he'd seen any other troll move before in his life. One second she was crumpled lifelessly in his lap and the next she was on her knees, holding his arm in a grip that he know from experience would leave a deep bruise.

“NO!”, his girlfriend rasped desperately as she violently shook her head. “Please don't leave me Sid! I'm sorry about the baby! I didn't mean to get pregnant, I swear! I didn't mean to!”

Realization swiftly dawned on Sid, feeling like a bucket of ice water had been poured over his fluffy head. Poppy's grief hadn't been because she was ashamed of him or even because she was carrying his kid like he'd feared. She was afraid that he'd want to leave her once he found out that she was expecting. 

Feeling giddy with relief, the guitarist held the small pink female in his arms like he'd done during her horrific panic attack so long ago. “I swear to every fucking God of Music there is Poppy, I'm not gonna leave you. Not unless you tell me to go the fuck away.”

“But the baby!”, she gasped back between sobs. “It's my fault! I didn't wait until I got my shot!”

Sid peppered his girlfriend's pink face and hair with kisses before hugging her to his muscular chest. “I already told ya Sweetstuff. I'm not leavin' unless you want me to. I never thought much about havin' a kid before, but I'm happy to step up. 'Sides, it isn't like you made him all by yourself. What happened is just as much on me as it is on you.”

“B-b-but they won't be full Rock Troll!”, Poppy stammered worriedly as she hiccuped in a way that the Rock Troll found adorable. “Th-they'll look like me too!”

“Gods, I hope so!”, he snorted, as his purple face lit up with joy. “You're fuckin' beautiful! I'd want my Trollings to take after their mother just as much as me. If anyone goes after us about it, I'll beat the livin' shit outta them until they back the fuck off.”

“You know, Pink, he won't be the first hybrid”, Barb chimed in with a grin as Riff cuddled the heavily pregnant female in his lap. “Your kid will have mine to hang and play with. We'll raise them together and teach them to love both our cultures, just like we do.”

Poppy stared blankly at Barb and then up at Sid with wide vulnerable eyes before breaking out in a dazzling grin. Pulling a soft pink handkerchief from hair, the Pop Queen cleaned her snot and tear covered face before leaning over and giving Barb and Riff a hug. After she let them go, the pink female rubbed her cheeks against the guitarist's chest before tilting her head up for a kiss which he was more than happy to provide.

Feeling movement on the bed, the large Rocker reluctantly pulled away and saw to his delight that their friends had pulled back the covers and had nestled themselves inside. Gently picking Poppy up in one arm, he eagerly crawled over to Barb and Riff, joining them in the much needed rockpile. While the purple male rejoiced in the loving physical touch of his family, he couldn't to stop himself from rubbing his beloved's flat stomach, thrilled beyond measure with the little life he and his beloved had created together.

As Poppy laced her fingers with his, and Barb and Riff gently stroked his side and back, Sid felt inspired to sing. While that wasn't unusual for the musically talented troll, this time felt different somehow. More important. He'd always found that music and song allowed him to express his thoughts and emotions far better than his clumsy expletive-laden words ever could, and if there was ever a time to let his girl know how he felt, this was it.

Cuddling the pink female close, the guitarist took a deep breath and prayed that his improvisational skills wouldn't fail him when he needed them the most.

“And I feel all the faint morning light  
Filled with hope 'cause you're here in my life  
And we've gone from the edge of our souls  
Made it back to a place we call home  
You...see me through  
I was alone in the dark   
and the fear was my truth 

Yeah, all the things that you are  
Beautifully broken, alive in my heart   
And know that you are everything  
Let your heart sing and tonight  
We'll light up the stars  
All that you are

I feel wrong  
I'm so trollish and flawed  
I'll break down even though I'm still strong  
And time...will make fools of us all  
Build us up and then laughs when we fall  
You...pull me though  
When I'm alone in the dark   
And the fear is my truth 

Yeah all the things that you are  
Beautifully broken, alive in my heart   
And I know that you are everything  
We'll light up the stars  
All that you are

You're the sound of redemption  
The faith that I've lost  
The answers I'm seeking no matter the cost  
you opened the window, now I can see  
And you taught me forgiveness   
By giving your love back to me

Yeah, all the things that you are  
Beautifully broken, alive in my heart   
And know that you are everything  
Let your heart sing and tonight  
We'll light up the stars  
All that you are

The room was completely silent as the three trolls stared at Sid in amazement as he let his voice fade away at the end of his song. Blinking back tears, Poppy gave the guitarist a glowing smile as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately on the lips. The world seemed to fall away as the two lovers rejoiced in their love and devotion for one another and in the future they were willing to forge together. 

“Damn, man”, Riff breathed reverently. “And here I though I was the best song writer in our family.”

“Yeah! That was sick as hell!”, Barb laughed as she watched the couple with joyful pink eyes. “Although it wasn't as awesome as the music you guys scream together when you fuck!”

Poppy turned a fascinating shad of fuchsia right before Sid's eyes as she twisted around and looked at the other queen in horror. “Barb! Stop teasing! We're not THAT loud!”

“Well, you kinda are”, the drummer contradicted with a nod of his gray head. “But I mean, it's all good, right? It just means that you're having fun with each other and stuff.”

“Oh, I think we both know just how much fun they're havin' by now!”, the Rock Queen teased as she gently squeezed the other female's hand. “Maybe one day if you're comfortable with the idea, we can all fuck together! Well, not together, together, although my offer of an orgy with me and Riff is still open. I mean in the same bed together. When I told you that we Rock Trolls like to do everything together, I meant EVERYTHING together! Why be happy by yourselves when you can have friends over to help magnify it!”

Sid couldn't help laughing when his girl managed to turn an even darker shade of pink as she looked at them in shock and surprise. Upon seeing that her family wasn't pulling her leg, Poppy buried her burning face back into his muscular bare chest with a squeak. While the large Rocker continued to laugh with his friends, he allowed himself to fully relax in order to enjoy the moment to its fullest. While a horrific darkness still enveloped the four trolls in a horrific dark and evil miasma, for right now, all was right in their tiny slice of the world.

Time passed as the four friends chatted about babies and parenthood, carefully not mentioning the elephant in the room, until Barb held up her hand for quiet. “Okay, since someone's gonna have to ask this, I figure it might as well be me”, she forced out, as her frightened pink eyes darted to the shadowy places in the room. “What's gonna happen when that sick bastard finds out Sid knocked up Poppy? We can't stay here, we just can't. I know what he'll do to us if we do.”

The Rock Queen's terrifying words seemed to suck all the life and warmth out of the air, making the previously cheerful pod feel like an abattoir in the dead of winter. With less than two months left before Barb nested and gave birth, time was already in short supply. The best plan they had so far was packing up their most cherished belongings so they could grab them at a moments notice if shit hit the fan.

The problem was that Poppy didn't want to flee to the Kingdom of Hard Rock and leave her people to Branch's murderous wrath. While Sid understood in a way, he knew if she stayed, the survivalist would almost certainly capture, rape, and torture the pink female until the day she died. There was no way in hell the guitarist was going to just leave if there was even a small chance that his girlfriend was going to end up like that, even before he discovered she was carrying his Trolling. So far, no amount of logical arguments or outfight screaming matches could convince her that her life was worth just as much as her people's

To make matters worse, once Barb and Riff had found out about Poppy's reluctance to leave, the two lovable idiots had immediately refused to leave as well. The Rock Queen would inevitably end up just like Poppy while the twins would be raised as monsters until they came of age to take the Hard Rock throne and lead his nation to ruin. The fact that Branch would almost certainly kill him and Riff off as soon as he made his move seemed rather ironic to the purple male, sparing the two male Rock Trolls the pain and despair that their beloveds would suffer for the rest of their lives. It was a catch-22 and a clusterfuck all rolled into one.

“I don't fucking know”, Sid admitted quietly with a sinking heart. “I guess we're gonna hafta play it by ear. But I'm gonna swear on the Gods of Rock 'N' Roll that I won't let anything happen to any of you or our kids. That fucker is gonna have to kill me first.”

As the large Rocker tried to comfort his terrified family, he said a second prayer in his heart, this time to all the Gods of Music that it wouldn't have to come to that.


	14. Run For Your Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time grows short as Barb nears the end of her pregnancy. After Poppy accidently lets the news of her pregnancy get, the family makes one last desperate gamble to save all of it's members before Branch leans of the news. Too bad it's too little too late. (Also Sid is a total badass)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS, Violence, Attempted rape, Grimdark, Graphic threats, Awesome but still graphic insults
> 
> Author's notes: The shit is about to hit the fan people. You've been warned.
> 
> Please note that while Branch has ingested a lot of toxic ideas and is clearly unbalanced, most mentally ill people are not dangerous to the people around them. Most just want to feel safe and be left alone. The ones that do display such violence such as serial killers often are diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, which is what Branch has in this story. I also feel the need to point out that not everyone who has antisocial personality disorders are bad or evil people either. It's what you do that makes you who you are. Branch is the perfect storm of child neglect, child abuse, antisocial personality disorder, and intermittent explosive disorder. 
> 
> Could he have been saved before this whole shitstorm started? Yes. But not a single adult gave a damn about a grieving child who was so paralyzed with fear, that he dug a literal hole in the ground in a vain attempt to feel safe. This doesn't excuse what he's done in the least. Branch was given many opportunities to rethink what he was doing and change the course of events and he chose not to. It's still sad to think just how many broken people there are out there and how many could have been saved at a young age with a little love and compassion.
> 
> Bonus points to readers who remembered that I mentioned Sid getting out of a bad relationship in the first chapter he appeared in. I had Silica planned out from the beginning and was just waiting to add her to the story. She's a nasty piece of work who's life's ambition is to use her partners until nothing is left before moving on to the next.
> 
> For anyone who's curious, I've used real laws (or lack there of) in my story to explain how Branch is able to get away with raping Barb. There are many many marry-your-rapist laws, rape in marriages was only recently declared illegal (in some countries), war rape was officially recognized as a thing in 2008 by the UN, and some countries still require at least two witnesses for a person to claim they were raped. In fact Florida and Missouri had laws until 2018 that allowed marriages without minimum age requirements for a girl if she was pregnant and a judge approved the marriage. Article 134 of the Russian criminal code states that if the perpetrator is age 18 or older and he rapes a minor between the ages of 14 and 16 for the first time, he is exempt from punishment if he marries the victim. Scary stuff, which is why I'm addressing it in my story.

Well you know that I'm a wicked guy  
And I was born with a jealous mind  
And I can't spend my whole life  
Trying just to make you toe the line

You better run for your life if you can, little girl   
Hide your head in the sand little girl   
Catch you with another man  
That's the end, little girl 

Let this be a sermon  
I mean everything I've said  
Baby, I'm determined  
And I'd rather see you dead

~Run For Your Life (The Beatles)

OOOO(Poppy)

The huge mixed crowd of trolls roared in delight as the Kings and Queens of Pop and Rock took to the stage. Poppy grinned, resplendent in her royal pink and black Pop-Rock ceremonial garb and gorgeous sliver spiked, rainbow jeweled crown. Sid stood tall beside her, dressed in his Hard Rock finery with a much larger version of her crown perched atop his handsome head. The purple male was beaming down at her with pure joy as she cuddled their blanket swaddled Trolling to her chest. The two mates shared a loving kiss before the pink female turned to look at her best friend and sister standing next to her on the large stage.

Barb was dressed in a fetching leather outfit consisting of a crop top and tight leather pants that showed off her lean body to perfection. Dark metal spikes, studs, and band patches decorated the kutte she wore over it, giving the traditional denim garment surprising bursts of color and brilliance. The purple female was laughing hard at something King Riff had whispered in her ear while she held her own bundled twins in her arms. Noticing Poppy's gaze, the redhead grinned even wider as she handed one of the Trollings to his adoptive father in order to flash her an enthusiastic set of horns.

Queen Poppy grinned back happily, relieved that everything was finally perfect. After a sincere heart to heart, Branch had finally seen the error of his ways and in turn had helped to heal the darkness that had infected their people's souls. Once again, the splintered tribes were united in love and song, coming together once again to celebrate the birth of the Pop Nation's new princess. 

Holding the bundle up for the roaring crowd to see, Poppy had just begun unwrapping the swaddling from around the infant when Barb leaned in close to her ear.

“Pink? Hey, Pink! You in there?”, she called out questioningly, causing the pink female to look over at her in confusion.

“Poppy!”

Poppy jumped in surprise at her friend's shout, causing the small outfit she'd been sewing together to fall onto the floor. Grasping her aching chest, she watched other queen with fearful pink eyes as Barb gave her a look of worry.

“Hey man, are you okay?”, the heavily pregnant female asked gently as she leaned over and tenderly stroked the Pop Queen's hair. “You were spacing out for, like, twenty fucking minutes. I know that's something you like to do, but then you got a really creepy smile on your face and started drooling...”

Blushing hotly, Poppy ignored Barb's smirk as she snatched up a discarded scrap of cloth and wiped away the thick gooey trails of moisture from her face. “Yeah, I'm fine. I was just having the most amazing daydream! We were all on stage while a huge audience from all the different tribes screamed and cheered. You there with the twins looking like a complete badass as usual while Riff was standing at your side as king! Sid and I were married as well and dressed in the most awesome looking-”

“Whoa! Whoa! Slow down there Pink”, the Rock Queen interjected, suddenly looking strangely scared and vulnerable as she averted her eyes. “While I admit that the stage and crowd thing sounds pretty sick, isn't imagining us married to the guys a little premature? I-I mean, who's to say that-that he...I mean WE will even want to stay together by then.”

The strange question caught the pink female completely by surprise. “Don't you want to marry Riff?”, she asked cautiously, knowing she was missing something, but not sure exactly what. “I thought you two were soulmates and totally head over heels for each other.”

The Rock Queen snapped her head up and glanced at her friend with a horrified expression before blushing a deep plum and looking away. “It's not...I mean of course I...uh...SHUT UP!”, she hissed as she snatched up one of the newly constructed Trolling clothing. “Like I'd ever want to saddle my best friend with all of this crap. We're together now, but one we find a way back to my kingdom, Riff will finally come to his sense and split. It's better that I acknowledge the truth now than make up some stupid fantasy about how I'm not gonna end up alone.”

Holding a hand to her mouth in astonishment, Poppy watched as Barb's ears drooped and tears started to trickle from her pain filled pink eyes. “I mean, look at me. I've got more scars than even the most Emo Troll would consider cool, I'm all kinds of fucked in the head, and I have two rape babies on the way. Who in their right fucking mind would want to be mates with me now?”

The redhead paused to wipe her nose on the hem of her long-sleeved shirt before turning back around and meeting Pop Queen's concerned gaze. “No, Riff deserves so much more than...this”, she sneered disdainfully as she forcefully jabbed a finger at her chest. “An' when the time comes, I'm just gonna have to suck it up and let him go because I love him too much to do anything else.”

Poppy felt tears of her own flood down her freckled cheeks as Barb began jerkily embroidering the tiny shirt, the needle moving almost too fast for her to see. While the entire family knew that the purple female was in far more pain than she let on, it didn't seem like any of them had come close to realizing just how deep the emotional damage ran. The Pop Queen had felt similar feelings of worthlessness and despair after her sexual assaults at the hands of Branch and the Reggaetons, but had managed to start healing as she worked through the trauma thanks so Sid and the thick stack of literature the Funk Troll doctors had given her. She'd assumed that Barb's doctors had been helping her, but it was now obvious that they either hadn't bothered or it hadn't worked.

Giving the heavily pregnant female a sad smile, Poppy reached over and placed her hand over the other's purple one, forcing her friend to stop her frantic sewing. The Rock Queen startled badly, reacting as if she expected to be hit as she looked up in surprise.

“Barb, Riff loves you”, the pink female said firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument. “Not the, 'I”m dating you out of pity' love, but the real honest to God ,'I love you more than my own life', kind of love. Trust me, if anyone would know the difference, it'd be me.”

“Yeah, I know...”, the Rock Queen whispered quietly, her raspy voice hitching from the intensity of her emotions.

“He also loves those babies like they were his own”, Poppy continued on exuberantly. “He tells all of our friends just how excited he is to become a father and calls himself 'daddy' when he talks to the twins. I've never seen a troll so excited about becoming a dad before, except for maybe Sid. Now tell me, does that sound like a guy who's about to make a run for it to you?”

Barb looked blankly at the Pop Queen, her terrified face betraying her thoughts as the purple female struggled to brake free of the poisonous words and thoughts that had been implanted inside of her head and heart. “No... But-”

“No butts!”, Poppy lectured sternly, unwilling to leave even a sliver of doubt in the other queen's mind. “Riff could have left and gone back home at any time if he'd decided that this was all to much and wanted to find a different partner. He stayed for YOU, Barb, you and the kids. If that doesn't prove just how much that male loves you, scars and all, than I don't know what will.”

Done with saying what needed to be said, the pink female fell silent. The Rock Queen was silent for several minutes as she played with the bundle of cloth in her lap before finally looking at her friend with open vulnerable eyes.

“Thanks Pink. I think I...I really needed to hear that. It's just...after what that fucker did to me, I'm just not...not the same person I was before this whole nightmare started. I feel so broken and weak inside and I don't know if I'm ever gonna be whole again. How can I be a good mom or mate like that? Fuck, how can I be a good leader like that? I feel like I'm a fucking burden on everyone and you all deserve so much more than what I can give back.

Without thinking, Poppy leaned over and enveloped Barb in a much needed hug, being mindful of her large tender abdomen. “You're so not a burden”, she assured the grieving female as she nuzzled her intact ear. “Taking care of each other is what family is for. You don't think of caring for your dad as a burden, do you?”

“Oh, fuck no!”, the redhead hissed venomously before giving the other queen a kiss on the cheek and gently pulling away. “I love taking care of Dad! Thrash is a fucking incredible father and was the most amazing king our nation's ever had. I mean, sure, it can be hard sometimes, but I'd rather die than him in some old folks home or something.” 

“Exactly!”, Poppy laughed as she booped her friend on the nose, almost getting bitten in the process. “We take care of you, you take care of us. We're family and we love you. That's never going to change, no matter what.”

Sharing tender smiles, the two friends cuddled together on the couch, talking about anything and everything as they cut, sewed, and decorated clothing for the newest baby. Having had tons of practice by then, the Pop Queen's hands practically flew as she expertly stitched the tiny outfits together before passing them on to Barb to embroider with sparkly stars, kittens, rainbows, and occasional skull, flame, or demon rising out from beneath the sea. Trays of food lovingly made by Sid and Riff sat on nearby chairs, allowing the pregnant females to graze as needed when the urge arose.

The sounds of hammering and good natured cursing made Poppy smile as the two Rock Troll males worked out back building the ingenious above ground planters Sid had designed that would allow them to grow some of the produce that made up the bulk of her diet. Recently many of the batches of produce that had been delivered had been coated in a strange oily residue that Doctor Moonbloom had identified as a stomach irritant. Such chemicals were commonly used on the fibrous plants that the Pop Trolls made most of their clothing from in order to keep way grazers, but were never applied to anything that was meant to be consumed. While Poppy liked to think that the contamination had been accidental, an inspection of the rest of the harvest showed no other traces of tampering, thus prompting her boyfriend's all night brainstorming sessions and DIY building projects.

A sudden insistent knock at the door caused both queens to flinch as if struck as they looked up in alarm. Once in the not so distant past, an unexpected guest would have been a delightful surprise, but those days were long since gone. Laying a comforting hand on Barb's shoulder, Poppy nervously ran though a mental checklist of who it could be.

With her queenly work finished for the day and all deliveries accounted for, it was highly unlikely that the unknown troll would be a courier from the council or a merchant finishing up for the day. Despite how much progress the Pop Queen and her beloved Rock family had made with her people, only the pink female's closest friends visited anymore and those could be counted on one hand. However, with the temperature dropping fast, most would be busy planting the few crops that thrived in the cold or canning and drying foodstuffs for the winter.

Branch had already been by earlier, forcing Barb to fuck him and two of his revolting friends while a half dozen others intimidated the rest of her family in the main living area. Despite being so terrified that she kept forgetting to breathe, Poppy had defiantly stood her ground, limiting both the amount of time the survivalist had with the heavily pregnant female and what they were allowed to do with her. The teal male had accepted the restrictions with surprising grace, even finishing early before strutting back out with his comrades and hopefully leaving the small family alone for the rest of the day.

“Do you th-think it's h-him?”, Barb stuttered fearfully, her breathing shallow and rapid as she wrapped her arms protectively over her bulging stomach, unconsciously echoing the other female's thoughts. “I can't t-take any more so soon, not right now.”

A pleasant twinkling chime filled the room as the bloom on the Pop Queen's hug watch burst into being, signaling both the hour and for its wearer to find someone to show affection to. Looking down at the bright swirl of colors, the pink female's eyes widened at just how late the hour had gotten before springing joyously to her feet. Laughing a touch hysterically, she gave a little twirl before leaning down and hugging the purple female and giving her forehead a gentle kiss.

“It's alright, Barb! It's five o-clock! Remember, Guy said he'd swing by around this time to finish going over toddler swaddling techniques.”

Riff had been a complete godsend, showing the other three expectant parents what they needed to know in order to care for an infant, but there were some things the Rock Troll couldn't teach. While most Trollings started out life completely helpless, Pop Trolls occasionally produced offspring that were much further along in development, much like Tiny Diamond had been. These special children had the mental and physical capabilities similar to that of a toddlers, but many were missing critical skills that they had to taught in order to avoid major issues that could crop up when they got older.

With both queens carrying children with Pop blood, they'd gone to Guy for help in order to learn how to care for the toddler-like Trollings. Originally the plan had been to keep the news of Poppy's pregnancy from the rest of the nation in an effort to keep her safe with only Doctor Moonbloom in the know. However, despite the family's best efforts, the glitter troll was able to figure out the secret on his own after seeing the sheer joy on the Pop Queen's face. Happily, it hadn't taken much convincing to get Guy to swear on oath of silence. After two thwarted abduction attempts on his son, the silvery male knew all too well what could happen if the happy news reached the wrong ears before they were ready.

Snatching up the glittery blue onsie that Barb and just finished embroidering with silver stars, Poppy danced over to the front door and excitedly threw it open. “Guy! Don't you think my baby would...”

The Pop Queen's heart gave a painful lurch as she cut off her ecstatic greeting with a horrible sounding gurgle. The twins stood on the porch gaping at her in shock as Satin dropped the box she was carrying, scatting its contents of trendy looking baby blankets just inside the doorway. The three Pop Trolls continued to stare at each other for what felt like an eternity before Poppy managed to jerk her unresponsive body back inside with a sad, terrified whimper. Distantly the pink female could hear Barb's frantic voice asking her what was wrong, but try as she might, she just couldn't get enough air into her lungs to answer back.

Satin and Chenille glanced at each other, silently coming to an agreement before stepping inside the pod uninvited and shutting the door behind them. Trampling over the fallen blankets, the sisters rounded on Poppy, effectively cutting the pink female off from the couch and the comfort of the other queen.

“Poppy!”, the lavender Pop Troll snapped, her purple eyes narrowed in fury. “Are you fucking-”

“Pregnant?”, her more gentle sister finished in a voice filled with wonder.

“I-I-I”, the Pop Queen stammered numbly, instinctively covering her flat abdomen with her hands in an attempt to shield her growing child from harm. “I don't-don't know...uh...know-”

Chenille rolled her eyes and gave a loud exasperated sigh at the pink female's feeble attempt at deception. “You might as well cut the crap honey. It just makes you look even more pathetic than you already are. Now tell us, are you pregnant or aren't you?”

Poppy felt dizzy as she panted for breath, desperately trying to think of something, anything that she could say that would sound believable. However, just as an idea would try to form, horrible invasive thoughts would get in the way, causing the rational thought to fall apart in small bursts of despair. She felt like she'd plunged into the freezing lake she'd fallen into during the war all over again, lungs full of water as she sank to her death on the sandy bed far below. Suddenly, she was surrounded by the scent of fresh strawberries as Barb came up from behind and wrapped the Pop Queen in a warm and loving embrace.

“So what if she is?”, the redhead snarled as she held Poppy close. “It's none of your fucking business, so shut the hell up and go away!”

“Uh, it kinda is?”, Satin interjected timidly before jerking back when the heavily pregnant female gave her a death glare.

“She's our queen, you dumb whore”, her conjoined twin shot back with a savage snarl of her own. “That means whatever the fuck she's got growing inside her will be our next monarch. That makes it our business. Hell, this whole sick living arrangement should be our business.”

The fashionista's cruel words hit Poppy like a punch to the gut. While Satin had timidly started trying to rebuild their former friendship, Chenille had taken what was left and gleefully set it on fire. Nothing Guy, Poppy, Doctor Moonbloom, or even her own sister could say or do would convince the lavender female that Rock Trolls weren't anything more than crude animals that had cleverly managed to mimic the troll's universal language. The only saving grace was that although Chenille was a fervent believer of Branch's hateful rhetoric, her sister had so far managed to convince her not to join his cult of followers in order to preserve their relationship.

“That's the problem with you fucking Pop Trolls”, Barb growled angrily, ignoring the other female's hateful words. “You look at Pink and see 'The Queen' without giving a damn about her as a person. Well, guess what? Her wants matter, her health matters, her happiness matters. Who she IS matters, not that most of you give a fuck. Poppy's happy right now and if you cared about her at all, you'd be happy for her too.”

Chenille looked at the Rock Queen in amused astonishment before bursting out in mocking laughter. “Oh my god, that's funny! Every time you open your mouth, all I hear is the barking of a dumb animal. Woof! Woof! Woof! Poppy, show some manners and put your bitch away until she learns how to behave around her betters. We've got a lot to talk about before I tell Branch and the Council what's been going on in your...home.”

Poppy's foggy mind snapped to attention at the survivalist's name just as Barb pulled away and stepped menacingly toward the twins. “If you fucking breathe a word to anyone about Poppy's pregnancy before she's ready, I swear by the Gods of Rock 'N' Roll, I'll make you regret it for the rest of your life.”

“Oh yeah?”, the lavender fashionista smirked as she cocked a well manicured eyebrow at the furious redhead. “So, what are you going to do? Beat me up? Go ahead and try. You may normally be some kind of badass, but right now you look like a beached whale. I don't think I'd have any problems knocking you on your ass. If fact, I'm willing to bet that Branch would find it amusing if I managed to beat those little abominations right out of your body. It's not like he's going to let them survive if they don't live up to his expectations anyway.”

Barb jerked backwards as if struck, clutching her pregnant belly protectively as her beautiful purple skin turned the color of ash. “Why would...?! How could...?”, she stammered fearfully, the words almost incoherent as she turned and almost fell in her haste to distance herself from the conjoined Pop Troll. “They're only babies!”

Chenille grinned, obviously taking great delight in causing the Rock Queen so much pain and distress. “Sweetheart, you're gonna be spitting out his kids for a long time, so losing a few here and there isn't going to matter much. I've heard from Branch himself that he's planning on fucking more of those things into you the second the last egg leaves that nasty ass cunt of yours. Yeah, it's gonna hurt like hell, but it's not like animals should have any say in the matter. I will admit that the whole affair seems rather brutal, but if I remember right, Rockers love that sort of thing.”

The pod was silent for a fraction of a second before Satin turned and slapped her sister across the face. “CHENILLE!”, the light pink twin shrieked. “How could you say such horrible things? I don't care how much you don't like Rock Trolls, you don't talk about hurting pregnant people and causing miscarriages! What the hell is wrong with you!”

A look of pure unadulterated rage and hate appeared on the lavender female's face, there and gone in an instant in a way that reminded Poppy uneasily of Branch and the thing that lived inside him. Plastering a suitably remorseful expression, Chenille rubbed her stinging cheek as she looked down at the floor contritely. 

“I was only kidding Satin”, she whined loudly, making sure not to meet anyone's eyes. “I was only trying to connect with the bitch...uh, I mean Barb...on a level that she could understand. You know how dark Rock music is with lyrics about death and demons and junk. I guess I was just so shocked by Poppy's big news that I went and took things a little too far.”

Pointedly ignoring the sisters, Poppy gently hugged the trembling Rock Queen to her chest, giving the heavily pregnant female all the love and comfort she could. Looking peeved, Chenille glanced over to her still fuming twin and then back over to the pink female before hissing something under her breath and giving another overly dramatic sigh.

“Cone on guys! You know I'd never hurt anyone, much less a troll who's about to give birth to her first...litter? Is that what Rock Trolls call it? Anyway, I freaked out, things got out of hand and I'm sorry. Can we please move on?”

While the urge to believe her former friend and accept her horrid apology was unbelievably strong, the Pop Queen just couldn't find it in herself to do it. She'd been though too much, seen too much, had felt too much to be able to indulge in such childish fantasies and whims any longer. Before, the worst that wouldn't happened were hurt feelings or a humiliating punishment from Branch. But now her entire family's lives were on the line, including their unborn children.

“That was low Chenille, really low”, she told the other Pop Troll in a dark and dangerous voice. “May I remind you that Queen Barb is under my protection, both officially as the Queen of Pop and as a member of my family. Any violence or threat of violence done to her will be viewed as being done to me.” 

“But I was only-!”

“Joking?”, Poppy angrily snapped as she continued to stroke Barb's bright red mohawk. “Yeah, I know. It wasn't funny. Rock Trolls, or any decent troll for that matter, don't make light of infanticide like you just did. If you're truly sorry, than you'll have to apologize directly to Queen Barb.”

“You want me to apologize to a fucking animal?!”, Chenille shrieked in disbelief. “Come on Poppy! Be reasonable!”

The Pop Queen only narrowed her eyes at the fashionista, causing her to sputter and look over at her twin. Sating looked amused as she folded her arms and glared at her sister until the lavender female gave a harsh guttural growl and placed her hands on her hips.

“Look, Barb-”

“Queen Barb”, Poppy interrupted, unwilling to let the slight go.

“QUEEN Barb”, Chenille seethed back. “Look, I was only playing around, okay? If I'd know you couldn't take a joke, I wouldn't have bothered.”

The three females looked at the lavender Pop Troll in shocked surprise while she folded her arms defiantly and glared back.

“SISTER!”, Sating squawked, horrified at her twin's behavior. “What was that?!”

“A fucking apology, what the hell does it look like?”

The sisters faced each other resentfully as their conjoined hair began to twist and writhe with their fury. Just as it looked like a confrontation was inevitable, Barb gently pulled out of Poppy's embrace and cautiously approached the irate twin Pop Trolls.

“Hey man, it's fine”, the purple female called out tiredly to Satin. “I don't want you guys fightin' on my account. Life's too short and family's too important for that kinda shit.”

“So, we're good then, right?”, Chenille prodded as she gave the Rock Queen an oily smile. “I don't want these two breathing down my neck because you're too much of a stuck up bitch to accept an apology.”

Barb gave the other female a sideways glance, her bright pink eyes full of sorrow and shame, before jerking her head in an approximation of a nod. “Yeah, sure. Whatever.”

Before anyone could react, the lavender fashionista threw herself on the Rock Queen, squeezing the heavily pregnant female hard around her bulging abdomen in what could've been mistaken for a Pop Troll gesture of reconciliation. Barb let out a squeal of pain and fear as she twisted and writhed in the other's arms, desperate to get away before strangely freezing as the taller troll bent down and whispered something into her ragged ear.

After a hew heartbeats of surprised hesitation, Poppy snarled ferociously and lunged toward the pair, ready to do whatever it took to protect her family. Chenille's eyes widened in alarm at her approach before brutally shoving Barb away in an attempt to avoid the ire of her queen. The pink female watched horrified as the redhead pinwheeled her arms in a desperate attempt to stay on her feet just as the caught her friend in her arms.

Pure white hot fury coursed through Poppy's veins as Chenille laughed hatefully before saying something in a smug voice, the gist of which was lost to the pounding in her ears. The Pop Queen went to turn and give her former friend a piece of her mind when she caught the look on Barb's face, making her feel like her blood had turned to ice.

“Barb, sweetheart!”, she cried out fearfully. “Are you okay? What happened!”

The Rock Queen looked up, her face streaked with tears as she trembled and gasped for air. “Y-yeah, Pink. I'm-I'm good. I just...I just think I-I need to go lie down for a bit, that's all. Are you gonna be okay out here alone? Want me to get one of the g-guys?”

Poppy's mouth tightened to a thin line as she watched the troll she considered a sister practically fall apart in front of her eyes. It was obvious that Chenille had said something so terrible that it had ripped right through Barb's tough outer skin to horrifically wound the sweet loving soul that lay underneath. Unfortunately as much as the pink female wanted to beat the living shit out of the other Pop Troll, there was just too much at stake for her to do so. With the Rock Queen due to lay her eggs in only four weeks, a long list of unworkable escape plans, and now her pregnancy, the last thing they needed was to create more trouble for themselves.

“I'll be fine, I promise”, the Pop Queen reassured the redhead, proving just how good of a liar she could be when the twin's faces lit up with glowing smiles. “You go lay down and get some rest. I'll have a talk with these two and try and help them understand why I want to wait a bit before I make my big announcement over lemonade and cupcakes!”

Barb gave Poppy a long look, letting the other know that she hadn't been fooled in the least before sighing and gently nuzzling her ear, a gesture the pink female was more than happy to reciprocate. Leaving her embroidery on the couch, the Rock Queen turned and warily trudged toward her room, not even pausing when she flicked the twins off after Satin wished her a good night.

Chuckling at her friend's amusing antics, Poppy moved the sewing to her office before grabbing the aforementioned treats from the kitchen. Carefully choosing her words, the Pop Queen entertained her unwanted guests, giving Barb time to get settled and hopefully fall asleep before getting down to business. Putting her glass firmly on the tray, the pink female mentally went through the script she'd devised before taking a deep breath and taking the plunge.

“Yes, I am pregnant”, she told the twins bluntly. “The father is Sid Fret. He's the larger of the Rock Troll males that live with me.”

Satin exchanged worried glances with her sister before gently placing her hand on the Pop Queen's knee. “Please tell us that it was at least consensual. I know that you say that these Rock Trolls are good people, but I've seen how guys can get when their hormones are raging and no one's around to help them control themselves.”

Inwardly shuddering at the horrific implications behind the light pink females's words, Poppy shook her head as she broke into a brilliant smile. “Of course it was, you guys! It was completely consensual. In fact, I was the one who crawled into his bed and practically jumped his bones. Sid has been a complete gentleman towards me the entire time he's lived here. He's the most kindest, most loving, the most amazing troll I've ever known.”

Both twins gaped at her in surprise before reacting in completely opposite ways. Satin sighed happily as she looked off into space, obviously daydreaming about heroic lovers and romance while her sister gave her a look of complete disgust.

“That's fucking gross. You know that, right?”, Chenille sneered condescendingly. “You gotta be all kinds of fucked in the head to actually want that animal to shove his thingy up your twat and squirt his junk all up inside you like that. Don't you have any pride left as a Pop Troll?”

“Chenille!”, her twin began, only to cut off with a gasp as Poppy flung herself to her feet.

“THAT IS ENOUGHT!”, she spat, her entire body quivering in rage. “Sid, Barb, and Riff are my friends, my FAMILY! You WILL NOT speak about them or any other Rock Troll like that in my presence ever again or I swear by all that we hold holy, I'll never have anything to do with you again! Do I make myself clear?”

Both sisters looked at the Pop Queen like she'd grown another head, Satin in fear while Chenille looked at her sorrowfully, showing true concern for the first time since she'd arrived. “Look, I know I'm coming across as a bitch, but I'm scared for you! You may enjoy this weird alternative lifestyle you've got going on, but what if Branch is right and Rock Trolls are as dangerous as he says they are. This 'Sid' may be good to you right now, but what if something sets him off while you're pregnant? Have you even thought about how he might react if the Trolling is born more Pop than Rock? You're playing with fire Poppy! What's it going to take to make you see that?”

The Pop Queen was silent for a few moments, feeling both moved and infuriated at the same time, before letting out a long drawn out sigh. “Chenille, I appreciate you worrying about me, but there's really no need. I've lived with members of my Rock family for almost six months now. Don't you think that if they were dangerous, I would've seen some indication of it by now? The only trolls who've attacked or hurt me have been my own people. On multiple occasions.”

Poppy paused to let her words sink in as both twins' eyes shifted over to look at her mutilated ear. The grisly wound had finally finished healing thanks to the loving care provided by Riff and Doctor Moonbloom. However, nothing could be done to either regrow or convincingly hide the missing piece that Branch had viciously bitten off. The pink female had adjusted to her new look surprisingly well, regarding the loss as a badge of honor she'd earned while protected those she loved. Barb had taken it far worse, blaming herself for her adoptive sister's mutilation despite the rest of the family telling her otherwise.

Satin slowly dragged her gaze away from the partially amputated ear, her complexion waxy and pale, to look down at her hands which were folded in her lap. “I still can't believe-! I mean I know he did, but-”, she stammered vaguely, trying to put her jumbled thoughts into words.

“Oh, stop being so dramatic, Poppy”, her lavender twin scoffed as she waved a hand indifferently in the air. “They're your people for God's sake! They weren't trying to hurt you, they were just trying to scare you so you'd finally come to your senses and stop all of this nonsense.”

“So you're saying that THIS was just supposed to scare me”, the Pop Queen deadpanned as she gestured to the horrific wound. “While I'll admit that I WAS terrified, I think the perpetrator missed the part where they weren't supposed to hurt me.”

To pink female's astonishment, Chenille sprang to her feet, ears pinned back and small fangs bared. “Hey! That's not fair!”, she hissed venomously. “For your information, Bran...uh, the guy who did this to you feels really bad about what happened. He was already on edge with those monsters in the village when you had your little temper tantrum and he overreacted and took things a little too far. It could have happened to anyone!”

Keeping her features as pleasant as possible, Poppy's mind raced as she tried to process what she'd just learned. According to Smidge's informants, Branch hadn't even told his gang of thugs and abusers about his involvement in the loss of her ear, much less anyone outside of that tightly knit group. So the question was, why would he go and tell the twins a sick twisted version of his savage assault and no one else. There were more influential trolls he could have go to as well as ones who wielded far more power. What could he possibly gain? 

Still managing to keep up her happy persona, if only by the skin of her teeth, the Pop Queen forced herself to smile when the female Pop Trolls looked at her in concern. “While it warms my heart to hear that my attacker regrets what he's done, can either of you promise that I'd be safe if news of my pregnancy got out? If tempers were running high before, just think what would happen if they found out my baby was half Rock Troll before I had a chance to make the announcement.”

The Pop Queen fell silent once more, having learned long ago how much power the unspoken word was if timed just right. The sisters sat quietly lost in thought, as the pink female took the time to stack the used dishes on one of the small felted side tables while surreptitiously watching Chenille out of the corner of her eye. While they needed both trolls on their side, Satin was still enough of a friend that she wouldn't breathe a word if asked not to, but her sister was obviously an entirely different matter.

“Of course we won't say anything”, Satin reassured her softly, placing a gently hand on Poppy's arm. “I'm just ashamed that we hurt you so deeply that you felt like you needed to ask. A pregnancy is the most precious secret a troll can have. It'd be wrong for anyone to spread the news before the parents had a chance to.”

The light pink female paused for a few moments before elbowing her twin in the ribs. Chenille gave her sister a look of impending doom before softening her gaze when she looked the Pop Queen in the eyes.

“I still think you're making a huge mistake, but Satin's right. It's your and...what's his name again? Sad Frit? Sat Fed? Anyway, it's your big news and I promise on my honor as a Pop Troll that I won't say a word about it until you give us the okay. All that I ask in return is that you keep those savage creatures away from me.”

Although she still had lingering doubts about the lavender fashionista's sincerity, Poppy couldn't help breaking out into a smile as tears of gratitude trickled down her glitter freckled cheeks. “Thank you so much!”, she sobbed as she enveloped both twins in a group hug. “You don't know how much this means to us. I promise that once Barb's given birth and everything settles down, I'll make the big announcement. It's not like I could keep things hidden for much longer anyway!”

As the three females laughed and cried, the Pop Queen felt a chill go up her spine at her own words. The troll species as a whole weren't prone to gaining or keeping on extra weight due to their extremely high metabolisms, with the giant trolls being the exception. Even a few days without food or a nutritionally deficient diet could have catastrophic effects on their bodies, just as poor Barb had proven during her captivity at the hands of Branch. While Rock Trolls consumed large quantities of calorie dense meat, fat, and bone in order to keep their bodies functioning, Pop Trolls had to augment their mostly plant based diet with dairy, fish, nuts and lots and lots of sweets.

Because of this, pregnancy was usually evident by nine weeks gestation and the pink female was already at the seven week mark. In just a short amount of time, trolls would begin to notice that something was off about their queen and the rumors would begin to fly. By the time another month had passed, no amount of dresses or skirts would be able to hide the pink female's pregnant form.

For the next twenty minutes, the former friends talked about their lives, hobbies and the growing excitement in the village for the coming winter solstice festival. Poppy forced herself to keep the tone light and cheerful, but lingering feelings of fear and doubt started to take their toll on her nerves and delicate stomach. Finally ready for it to end, she stood and thanked the twins for their visit, not even having to feign the exhaustion she used as an excuse to cut the visit short.

After she'd seen the sisters out, Poppy forced herself to think calming thoughts in order to combat her rising anxiety as she checked on the guys though the back window. Sid and Riff were laughing hard as they slung leftover chunks of dirt and fertilizer at each other before the drummer tackled the larger male around the middle and took him to the ground. While Barb's pregnancy and stressful living situation burned through the abundant energy that Rock Trolls seemed to generate, the two males often had more than enough to spare. Glad that they'd found a safe way of tiring themselves out, the pink female shook her head fondly and decided not to interrupt what was turning into the most adorable wrestling match ever.

Letting the black and red checked curtain fall back into place, Poppy smiled gently as she strolled thought the quiet pod and into Barb and Riff's bedroom. Closing the door behind her, the pink female took a few moments to let her eyes adjust to the dim light before looking around in awe. The living space had been completely transformed from its former look into a cozy den filled with soft plush fabrics, shiny things, and comforting scents. As was common for all trolls nearing the time to give birth, Barb had begun making the nest she'd lay her eggs in. Its construction along with the material components were deeply personal choices and could differ wildly from troll to troll. 

The mostly finished nest had been built on what had once been the couple's personal stage. The Rock Queen had used all sorts of fluffy pillows, rugs, yards of cloth, and plush furs which were some of the more common used materials as well as soft scraps of leather, guitar pics, and shiny bits of foil to make it her own. Lightly worn pieces of the family's clothing had also been woven into the sides, helping to fill the cunningly made structure with the comforting scents of family, mate, and safety.

While the elaborate nest might have been enough for some trolls, Barb had gone one step further. Long streamers made from sparkly twine and thin metal chain hung down from the ceiling, strung with dangling bits of mirrors, metal, shiny rocks, and colored glass. The small dim glow-stones that lit the room caused the beautiful decorations to glow and sparkle, sending thousands of motes of light bouncing around the room, bathing it in a million different colors. Riff hadn't been happy when he'd caught the heavily pregnant female attempting to balance on the dresser trying to string them up herself, but that had been more about her safety than anything else.

Carefully weaving around the mounds of unused nesting materials and general clutter, Poppy made her way over to the nest where Barb lay sprawled, fast asleep. Although she'd tried to be as quiet as possible, the Rock Queen opened her pink eyes at her approach, looking absolutely exhausted. Giving her friend a sweet and loving smile, the purple female laboriously shifted herself over with a grunt in order to make room for her to lay down.

Although this was far from the first time she'd been invited into the nest, Poppy still felt giddy with joy as she carefully climbed inside and was instantly snuggled close by the heavily pregnant female. It was an honor and a privilege for a nesting troll to allow someone into their nest, with many not even letting their mates sleep inside. The deeply primal need to keep their baby safe above all else was paramount at this stage and didn't always accurately reflect how they felt about the excluded troll normally. It was looked at as just one of those things you had to go along with, least you upset the mother and cause issues with the birth. So far Barb had allowed Poppy and Riff inside, with Sid being allowed to sleep on a pallet flush against the outside. 

Barb nuzzled the back of the other queen's neck affectionately, causing Poppy to giggle before taking a few deep breaths, letting the pink female's scent comfort her as she fell back asleep. Cradling her flat abdomen in her hands, the Pop Queen gave a deep contented sigh, feeling relaxed and insanely happy. No matter what the future held in store for her and her family, for the moment, everything was perfect. Closing her eyes, Poppy held the feeling close to her heart as she drifted off to sleep, knowing all too well just how fleeting those moments could be.

OOOO(Poppy)

The Pop Queen prowled nervously around the pod, desperately trying to find something to do. The stress of the impending birth and what would happen afterwards was taking an incredible toll on the entire family. Branch's followers had been watching their every move for almost two weeks now, carefully closing off every avenue of escape. The pink female felt like she was being crushed under the guilt as every plan they'd carefully worked so hard to come up with fell apart, one by one.

Despite how the Pop Trolls had treated her, Poppy just couldn't make herself abandon them to Branch's tender mercies. She would've happy gone with the survivalist and lived the rest of her life in fear and pain if it meant saving even one of her people. The problem was that it wasn't just about her anymore. The small life within her would be in grave danger if she chose to stay as well as the rest of her Rock family who stubbornly refused to leave without her. It was a vicious catch-22 that had the pink female literally tearing the hair from her head.

Without an easy answer, the Pop Queen had turned to the Funk Queen for help, sending letter after letter to the troll she thought of as a mother without a single response back. At first she'd been hurt and confused at what appeared to be a blatant rejection before she'd realized that Branch was most likely intercepting her royal and personal mail. Without knowing what kinds of messages the survivalist had sent in their place, the family had brainstormed long into the night before coming up with one last reckless plan.

With the Rock Queen's due date about a month away, the Funk Troll obstetrician had increased the purple female's appointments from twice a month to once a week. Branch had been furious at first but had finally relented when the doctor hadn't backed down. Like always, only Riff and Barb were allowed to fly to the funk medical ship 'Mercy', along with the twenty of the survivalist's most ardent disciples. Unfortunately, the ship wasn't anywhere near Pop Nation by the Council's decree in order to stymie any escape attempts made by the desperate family.

Once there, the heavily pregnant female was to throw caution to the wind and plead their case directly to the medical staff as well as anyone else who would listen before they were stopped. It was their hope that if they could somehow get word to Queen Essence about how bad things were, it would be enough to convince her to send some of her royal guards to protect them. With the open backing of the powerful Funk nation, Poppy would finally have the support she needed to enact the sweeping changes her people needed without putting her family or anyone else at risk.

The only real roadblock to their plan was King Quincy. While the gold and purple male was a kind and benevolent ruler to his people, nothing she'd managed to say could convince him to take any action on her behalf. He'd repeatedly pointed out that since laws forbidding war rape didn't exist amongst any of the tribes added to the fact that Branch had done the right thing in taking Barb as his mate after getting her pregnant, then there was no reason to intervene. He'd only sent a letter admonishing the teal male to treat his mate better, a letter the survivalist had publicly burned to the delight of his personal cult. Secretly, Poppy thought that the real reason Quincy wouldn't help was that he was still butthurt from when the Rock Queen had accidentally crashed his city into a large sand dune when she'd attempted to land the craft, but knew better than to say it out loud.

Glancing at her hug watch for the sixteenth time that hour, the Pop Queen felt her stomach lurch with excitement when she realized that Barb and Riff would've reached the medical ship by now. The appointment usually ran several hours long as the expert team of doctors ran tests on both mama and babies health, as well as monitoring the purple female's slow recovery from the torture and starvation she'd suffered at the hands of Branch. They'd then spend the night and leave the following morning, returning back home sometime in the late afternoon. Then assuming that Essence got their message, help would hopefully start to arrive a few days later, finally bringing this horrible nightmare to an end, once and for all.

Distant shouts of anger and pain shook Poppy from her tumultuous thoughts. Swiveling her ears forward to better catch the sound, the pink female started to dash toward the window when the front door opened with a loud crash. She froze in horror and fear as Branch stood in the doorway, chest heaving, as he stared at the Pop Queen in hate-filled disgust.

“You stupid dirty little whore!”, he growled, low and deep, his blue eyes showing little signs of sanity. “Here I am, trying to be a nice guy, allowing you to live in your pod with those filthy animals, and even let you continue to pretend that you're still our leader, and THIS is the thanks I get?!”

Poppy recoiled violently from the sheer force of his rage, drowning in her rising panic as her heart beat painfully in her chest. “Branch...!”, she croaked, only for the survivalist to raise his voice over hers.

“Well, that all ends now! While my friends are busy putting down that disgusting mongrel, I'm going to give you the worst beating of your life until you squirt out that worthless piece of shit he's got growing inside you. Maybe then you'll learn to keep your goddamn legs closed until I fucking come and claim you.”

Trembling hard, the Pop Queen risked a slight glance toward the kitchen, praying that Branch had indeed come alone and left the second exit unguarded. Unfortunately, the minute movement didn't escape the teal male's notice. Narrowing his eyes, the survivalist moved quickly, easily outflanking the pink female and forcing her to move toward her former bedroom and away from potential freedom and help. 

Skittering backwards, Poppy slammed hard into the wall as the survivalist clenched his fists, making his slender muscles bulge menacingly. As often as she'd fantasized about happy endings or dread the worst outcomes of what would happen when the news of her pregnancy got out, the Pop Queen never thought it would end like this. As her former friend and lover loomed over her with eyes full of hate and an all consuming darkness, the pink female made one last desperate attempt to reach the tiny spark of love and compassion she hoped he still had inside.

“Branch, please don't do this! I know you're hurt and angry, but this isn't you! The troll I was friends with would never have tried to hurt me or kill my baby! There's still good inside of you, I know it! Let's all just calm down and talk this over.”

The teal Pop Troll froze and gave her a look of pure astonishment before bursting into hysterical laughter, the eerily discordant sound completely devoid of mercy or warmth. “Oh Poppy. Always the stupid and naive optimist. I love it! I can always count on you and your childish views on life to help lift my spirits.

Sweetheart, I plan on slitting my own Trolling's throat the moment I decide which twin is the one I want on the throne. I can't have my enemies using the little brat against me, now can I? Not to mention how much it's going to hurt the Rock Trolls when they get the news of their beloved queen's loss! In fact, I've been jerking off at just how devastated my little bitch is going to be when I gut the thing in front of her while she pleads for its worthless little life.”

So tell me Poppy, if I care so little for my own flesh and blood, what makes you think I'd give two fucks about your little bastard.”

Poppy's world shattered as the horrible laughter echoed all around her. Swallowing rapidly in a vain attempt to keep from vomiting, the pink female covered her abdomen protectively as she felt all of her fear burn away. Standing tall, the Pop Queen let the hate and rage shine through her eyes as she flattened her ears against her skull and bared her teeth in threat.

“If you come near me or my family, I'll kill you”, she promised, her voice cold and devoid of emotion.

It was Branch's turn to flinch back as he stared at his former lover in uneasy surprise before morphing it into smug condescension. “Oh, don't be that way! I mean, yeah, I'm going to rip that disgusting thing right out of your womb, but I promise that I'll put another one back in. It won't even take that long! From what I've been told, trolls who manage to survive miscarrying tend to get pregnant their very next cycle. That way we can both get what we want! I get to be King and you get to be a mommy!

Now, I know what you're thinking, but I'm really a great guy deep down. Well, if you do what you're supposed to that is. I've seen just how much females hate being alone, so I'm going to make sure that Barb is strapped down on the breeding bench next to yours so you can have some company. Won't that be nice? That way while you're recovering from our latest mating, I can have some fun whipping her cunt and that disgusting baby bump into they're nothing but quivering bloody meat. That bitch has a lot to atone for after getting pregnant with twins like that. I don't appreciate the extra work.”

With the horrible mental images assaulting her mind, Poppy gagged and violently vomited on the plush pink carpet. “You're insane”, she rasped harshly as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Insane? No”, Branch grinned viciously as he continued stalking toward the pregnant female, dark and foreboding. “You see, I realize that simple minded trolls like you would consider my actions sick and wrong. I just don't care. I'm just a guy who loves feeling his whores writhe in agony around his cock as he fucks child after child into their bodies, using them like the breeding bitches they were born to be. Now tell me, what could possibly be wrong with that?”

The survivalist attacked. In the blink of an eye, Branch had gone from being in the middle of the room to on top of Poppy, forcing the much smaller troll to the ground. Screaming like an enraged wildcat, the pink female bit and tore into any part of the survivalist she could get a hold of, grinding down and tearing with her teeth until blood ran down into her mouth. As heavy blows rained down on her body, the Pop Queen did everything she could to protect her vulnerable abdomen from her former friend's vicious assault.

Poppy sobbed, her entire existence one of pain and agony, as she tried vainly to push the teal male off of her broken and bleeding body. Lashing out blindly, she felt her fingertips hit something soft and squishy. Realizing what it was, the pink female savagely dug them in as deep as she could, causing Branch to let out a squeal of pure agony. Screaming incoherently, the survivalist grabbed the Pop Queen by the throat and threw her bodily across the room.

Despite being almost paralyzed from the sheer terror and pain, the Poppy feebly managed to curl into the fetal position as she flew through the air like a rag doll. The pregnant female's flight was cut short as she slammed back first into the large bookcase by the kitchen door. Books and trinkets rained down of the Pop Queen's battered body as the teal male continued to scream and curse.

“You stupid bitch!”, Branch shrieked as he pulled a small signaling mirror from his vest and inspected his grievously injured left eye. “You could have made this easy on yourself, but no, you just had to go and fuck everything up.”

Snapping the hinged compact shut, the survivalist stowed the small object away before pulling rough homespun bandages from his hair and swiftly tending to the horrible wound. Turning back around, he stormed over to prone female, his entire form radiating death and destruction. Poppy shook her aching head as she woozily tried to extricate herself from the mess, despite knowing it was already far too late.

Giving her a nasty smile as the teal male dug his fingers into the Pop Queen's dark pink locks before slamming her head repeatedly into the thickly felted bookcase, the soft fibers thankfully absorbing most of the impact. Laughing excitedly, the survivalist threw the dazed female hard to the floor before ripping her now shredded pink dress and panties from her bleeding body. Without hesitation, he yanked her thighs apart and then went to free his hardened cock from the confines of his dark leather pants, intent on giving the feisty female a taste of what was in store for her later.

Poppy coughed weakly, trying to force air into bruised lungs as she looked up at her former friend and lover with tears in her vivid pink eyes. “Rosiepuff would be ashamed of you.”

Branch froze at the mention of his late Grandmother's name. For just one fleeting moment, the pink female could see the scared little Trolling that had witnessed his entire family being butchered or eaten alive by the Bergen. For just that one fleeting moment, the two Pop Trolls touched each other's souls, the pure essence of who they were before the teal male allowed the darkness to consume him once again.

Wrapping his hand once more around Poppy's throat, the survivalist squeezed as hard as he could until the Pop Queen stopped writhing and could only claw weakly at his hand. Balling his free hand into a fist, the enraged Pop Troll bared his teeth as he leaned toward the small female's terrified face.

“If you ever, EVER say-!”, he began just as something big crashed into the already broken door.

OOOO(Sid)

Sid growled angrily under his breath as cleaned up the mess caused by the destruction of his above ground planters. Sometime during the night, someone had snuck onto the back porch of the pod and pushed all seven of the containers off the side to tumble down to the tree limb far below. It didn't take a genius to know who'd been behind the petty vandalism, especially when Branch had stepped up both his bullying and security measures he used to keep Sid's family inside the village. What worried the large Rocker was the why behind it all. Fixing the containers and replanting the winter crops would take hours, sure, but it was a minor annoyance at best. The feeble attempt at intimidation was out of character for the survivalist who'd always been more hard hitting in his approach.

A thick swath of hair shot out of seemingly nowhere, pulling the muscular male off the vine leading to his pod down onto one of the moss covered branches below. Tearing wildly at the purple strands, Sid felt his stomach flip at the weightlessness of free fall for several terrifying seconds before landing with a bone jarring thud. Finally ripping free from the noose of hair, the guitarist stumbled to his feet to find himself surrounded by angry looking Pop Trolls. The mob was eerily silent as they raised knives and clubs before warily approaching their prey.

“So the little bitch's finally makin' his move, huh?” Sid mused to himself as he cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders to work out the kinks. “Hmmm. So, let's see. There's...ten...eleven...no, twelve of you and only one of me. Sounds about right. So you fuckers wanna dance? Fine. Let's get moshing.”

The large Rocker launched himself at his attackers with a fierce roar, causing the Pop Trolls to rear back in surprise, clearly expecting the purple male to be cowed by their show of brute force. Dropping low, Sid kicked a blue male hard in the knee, smiling as he heard the satisfying crunch that signaled an opponent that wasn't going to be getting up anytime soon. Knowing better than to pause in between attacks, the Rock Troll smoothly transitioned his forward momentum into a brutal uppercut that knocked one of Branch's followers from the branch to the ground far below and out of the fight.

Sensing someone creeping up from behind, Sid turned just a fraction of a second too late. A vicious blow to the back of the head knocked the Rocker to his knees, then to the ground as his assailant landed another hit to the same spot. The ten remaining Pop Trolls clustered tightly around him, landing blow after blow until blood flowed from his mouth and nose. Forcing himself to remain conscious though sheer force of will, the Rock Troll managed to snap his head up and caught a wrist in his mouth. Biting down hard, the large male's teeth easily parted skin and flesh as well as severing tendons and ligaments until another vicious punch to the side of the head forced him to let go.

Instead of stunning him like the Pop Trolls had intended, it had the opposite effect of helping to clear the fog from Sid's brain. Snarling, the Rocker rose to his knees and slammed a fist into one of the cultist's genitals, causing the yellow male's eyes roll into the back of his head as he dropped to the ground like a sack of grain. Still the attacks kept coming.

Stumbling to his feet, the guitarist only had a second's warning before a garrote was slipped over his head. A sharp jerk brought the deadly loop taut around his muscular neck, cutting off his access to oxygen as the razor-like wire started to cut into the delicate flesh. Gurgling furiously, Sid grabbed the wire in one hand to give himself as much slack as possible while he whirled around to face the Pop Troll holding the other end. The pink haired male gave him a timid smile before the Rocker brutally tacked him, snarling in rage. Ripping the weapon from his opponent's hand, the Rock Troll punched him hard in the face three times in rapid succession, causing the other troll to loose consciousness.

As the rest of Branch's gang muttered uneasily amongst themselves, Sid rose dramatically from the ground until he stood at his full height of six feet, four inches (195 cm), practically looming over the smaller males. Sensing their will to fight wavering, the muscular Rocker sucked in a deep breath and gave his best death metal roar, causing most of them to flee in fear. Fixing a baleful glare on others that remained, the purple male continued to growl threateningly as they timidly scooted past him to pick up their wounded before disappearing back into the surrounding forest as quietly as they'd appeared.

The guitarist waited for a few moments to be sure they were gone before doubling over in pain and spitting out a mouthful of blood. “Goddamn, that was fun”, he wheezed as he gasped for breath.

Poppy's scream of fear and anguish shattered the unnatural quiet, casing Sid to look up at his home in horror. Forcing himself into a run, the injured Rock Troll stumbled across he slick network of branches and vines, all the while cursing his race's inability to use their hair in any helpful way. As he neared the fuzzy pink structure, the purple male dropped down to all fours in order to move even faster, rocketing up the final vines and plowing into the broken door, ripping the damaged wood partially out of its frame.

Tearing up chunks of the carpet as he skidded to a stop, Sid rose to his feet with a strangled growl as he witnessed a scene straight out of his worst nightmares. His beloved Poppy lay broken and bleeding on the floor while Branch straddled her naked body, his hand wrapped around her delicate throat, squeezing hard enough that her face had turned a dark purple.

“GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!”, he screamed wildly.

Roaring like a deranged beast, the Rock Troll shot across the room. The survivalist just enough time throw himself off the pink female with an explosive curse as the other males' knuckles grazed the side of his face. Snarling and snapping his impressively large jaws, Sid positioned himself over his mate, looking like one of the ancient Gods of Black Metal made manifest. Branch, completely unimpressed, glared back angrily, muttering about incompetent moron. Satisfied that the sick bastard was likely to stay were he was, the guitarist squatted down to check on Poppy's still form. 

Horrible bruising and bleeding wounds covered the pink female's body, a silent testament to just how hard she'd fought against the deranged male. To his horror, Sid saw that even unconscious, Poppy  
was still trying to shield her abdomen from harm, the healthy pink skin a shocking contrast to the deep purples and blacks that marbled her arms. Keeping a wary eye on Branch, the large Rocker swiftly untied his red paisley bandanna from around his head, using the cloth to gently wipe the pools of blood our of his beloved's eyes, desperately praying that she'd be okay.

“Isn't that sweet”, Branch taunted with a nasty laugh. “Who knew that Rock Trolls could care so deeply about their owners? And here I thought that you animals were only capable of rage and stupidity.”

Ignoring the teal male's obvious attempt at provoking him into doing something stupid, Sid carefully nuzzled the side of Poppy's face, causing her eyes to flutter open. The battered pink female stared at the large Rock Troll in disbelief before weakly grasping his hand.

“Sid?”, she whispered, her voice sounding frail and tired. “You're okay! But Branch said...”

Softening his gaze, the muscular Rocker leaned down and gently kissed his beloved on the forehead. “Course I'm okay, baby. It'll take more than a few sacks of shit to take me out.”

Tears poured from Poppy's beautiful eyes at his words, sobbing in relief as she pressed her bruised cheek against Sid's large hand. Giving her a gentle caress, the guitarist reluctantly untangled himself from the tiny pink female and got ready to face the greatest threat of his life. To his surprise, Branch hadn't bothered to take advantage of his distraction, instead choosing to watch the loving couple with open jealousy and bitter disgust.

Examining his opponent more closely, it was obvious that his girl had put up one hell of a fight. The survivalist's leaf vest had been shredded down to its leather base, completely destroying the garment's ability to provide camouflage. Bloody bites and scratches covered his arms, chest, and face, some of which looked impressively deep, but the most impressive injury by far had been to the teal male's left eye. Blood and a thick viscus fluid leaked out from underneath a gore-soaked bandage, making the guitarist's stomach give a little lurch. 

“She was supposed to have been mine, you know”, the survivalist hissed venomously. “Everyone knew it. Then you just had to come along and fuck everything up.”

Brushing his now spiky black hair away from his face, Sid gave the other male a look of incredulous disbelief. “She was NEVER yours, dude. All you ever gave her was fuckin' pain and fear. You withheld your love, doling it out like in bits an' pieces only after she'd done something to please you, like you were trainin' a goddamned animal. That's no way to treat ANYONE, much less someone you're supposed to care about!”

“Seriously? Is that what you think?”, Branch sneered back. “You stupid asshole, females ARE practically animals! They make the same bad decisions over and over again because they aren't smart enough to know what's good for them. It's up to alpha males like me to carefully shape and train them for the roles they were born to fulfill. 

So a few feelings get hurt along the way. Big deal. Once they're fat with Trollings and know how to obey and please their males, all that independent thinking just goes away and they're happy again. It's how things used to work, how they're supposed to work.”

Sid felt frozen as he tried to digest the male Pop Troll's hateful words. Just the mere thought of his beloved Poppy or Barb being broken to the point of becoming mindless husks who quivered with joy at the slight chance of receiving a kind word or touch made him feel physically ill. How any troll want to do that to someone they claimed to love was beyond him.

“Damn, man. There's something seriously seriously wrong with you”, he growled uneasily at the gloating survivalist. “After seein' what you did to Barb and Poppy, I've been wracking my brain, tryin' to figure out what could have happened to make you do such terrible things. At first, I chalked it up to all the horrible traumatic shit from your past. It doesn't excuse all the sick shit that you put 'em through, but at least it's an explanation. But seein' you now, and hearin' the putrid garbage spewing from your mouth...You're just plain fuckin' evil.”

Just as the guitarist expected, Branch just grinned and shook his finger in condemnation. “Sticks and stones! It's not like I'd expect a brainless creature like you to understand what I've been through, what I've learned. My mind has been opened to how things used to be, how they were SUPPOSED to be before spineless males and headstrong bitches like Poppy upset the balance. Well, when I become the leader of both our nations, I'm planning to make some sweeping changes and creating the utopia we should've had all along!”

Sid narrowed his violet-red eyes in disgust as he stalked forward just enough for freedom of movement, but still close enough to protect Poppy if the need arose. Stretching his sore muscles, the purple male made note of his injuries and the limitations they imposed before crouching low in a loose stance and bouncing on the balls of his feet.

“Okay, you sick fuck. I”m gonna give you to the count of three to get the hell outta here before I break every goddamned bone in your body.”

The Rock Troll's ultimatum wiped all traces of amusement from Branch's face. Glowering, the teal male copied the other's stance, readying himself for the fight that was to come. “I'm not afraid of you”, he sneered, unintentionally echoing their first conversation long ago. “I know how to fight too and I've taken down trolls before!”

Sid laughed darkly as he brushed away the trickle of blood running from his mouth with the back of his dirty and bruised hand. “Maybe. But you're not beatin' on pregnant females or happy little Pop Trolls any more, little boy. I”m a goddamn male Rock Troll and I'm about to make you regret ever touchin' my family.”

Snarling, Branch darted to one side and whipped out his dark blue hair, the locks writhing in the air as they went for his throat. Anticipating just such an attack, the guitarist quickly reached out and caught the appendage just before it could reach its mark. Keeping a firm hold on the silky strands, the Rock Troll jerked the survivalist off of his feet and let go, allowing the other male to fly across the room and slam hard against the far wall.

Roaring angrily, Sid charged at his fallen opponent, intent on following up his attack with an elbow to the face of stomach, only to be deflected when the Pop Troll managed to form a shield out of his hair just in time. The muscular Rocker screamed in pain as he bounced off the hardened mass. Twisting in midair like a cat, he landed on all four as he skidded ungracefully across the carpet before coming to a stop. Looking down at his arm, the purple male was surprised to see a six inch long gash, dripping sparkly red blood all over the floor.

Keeping a wary eye on Branch, the guitarist pulled the bandanna he'd used on Poppy from his pocket and bound the wound using his hand and strong teeth as the other male held up a wicked looking knife and laughed. “Didn't know this was gonna be a knife fight”, he drawled languidly, almost as if he were bored, drawing the Pop Troll's ire.

Reaching into his fluffy black mane, Sid pulled out his own knife that his fathers had given him for his twelfth birthday. The small sharp blade was more of a utility knife than anything else, used to remove insulation from wires and skewer the highly venomous spiders that loved to make their homes inside amps and recording equipment. While the Rock Troll knew that the tool's short length would leave him at a severe disadvantage, he prayed that his knowledge on how to use it would make up the difference.

The two males launched themselves at each other at the same time, slashing and clawing until both were bloody and their clothing hung in shreds. As Branch followed up on a cunningly executed feint, the Rocker was forced to admit that the other was good, too good. No troll, especially a Pop Troll, could lean the techniques the survivalist was using from a book. Somehow, somewhere, he'd found someone to not only teach him how to fight, but how to kill.

Sid gave the teal male a viscous grin, scraping blood from his violet-red eyes as they fell back to catch their breath. The fight with the cultists had taken more out of the large male than he'd realized, causing him to be just a hair slower and less agile than his opponent, which was becoming more of a problem as the fight dragged on. Only the knowledge that he was the only thing standing between death and his small family kept the muscular Rocker on his feet.

Branch sneered at the other male in disgust, his blue eyes dark and filled with rage as he staggered wearily over to lean against the ruined pink couch. “I have to admit Rock Troll, you've surprised me once again. I know you vermin are more about play and roughhousing than any real violence. So level with me; where did you learn how to fight?”

“I could ask you the same thing”, the guitarist spat back. “'Sides, it isn't about the fightin', it's about love. Something you wouldn't know a fucking thing about. Poppy's the love of my life and I'd die before I ever let you touch her again.”

Something dark skittered across the survivalist's handsome features, something so poisonous and evil that it made the other male flinch back as if he'd been burned. “Is that so? Well then, it seems like I've been going after the wrong troll.”

Sid's eyes widened in horror as Branch gave him a triumphant grin and flipped his hunting knife so he was holding it by the tip before throwing it at Poppy's still form. Letting out a wordless cry of despair, the guitarist threw himself toward his beloved as he watched the blade fly end over end, almost as if time itself was moving in slow motion. Whether through divine intervention or sheer dumb luck, he felt his fingers close over the hilt of the weapon just inches from where it would have buried itself in the pink female's chest.

Time seemed to reorient itself as the Rock Troll crashed into the pile of fallen books on Poppy's other side. Cursing loudly, Sid twisted back around and threw the large knife toward Branch had last been, embedding itself harmlessly into the pink fuzzy wall up to the hilt. The survivalist growled in annoyance as he darted for the blade from his hiding place behind the couch. Grabbing it with both hands, the male Pop Troll pulled as hard as he could, only for the weapon to to refuse to come free.

Branch stared at the wall in stunned disbelief before screaming incoherently in frustration and fury, the unnatural undertone to the sound sending ripples of fear and disgust down the muscular Rocker's spine. Turning around slowly, the survivalist regarded him with burning eyes that held no traces of sanity as he growled low in his throat. 

“You may have won this round, you rancid piece of shit, but it's not going to change anything. Once I've told the village how you turned on Poppy, they're going to come here and tear you apart. I'm going to love watching you die.”

Pulling himself free from the pile of books and fallen knickknacks, Sid painfully rose to his feet and smiled down at his beloved Poppy, not intimidated in the least. “Some trolls are worth dyin' for.”

The survivalist gave the purple male a look of intense hatred, before running outside into the deepening twilight. The purple male continued to stand at the ready for several more minutes until he was sure Branch was really gone before collapsing bonelessly next to his girl. Gently pulling the battered female into his lap, the Rocker was dismayed to see that Poppy seemed to be in shock, her pupils blown wide as she shook uncontrollably in the frigid night air.

Unable to hold back his emotions any longer, Sid held her close to his heart as he sobbed in sorrow and despair. “It-it's gonna be okay baby, it's gonna be okay. I'm here now and I promise I'm gonna keep you safe. We just gotta find...gotta find some way outta of here, that's all.”

“What in holy damnation happened in here?!”, shouted a deep voice that the Rock Troll knew only too well. 

Looking up warily, the guitarist watched as Smidge stormed into the thoroughly trashed room, looking positively pissed. She stopped abruptly and grimace when she stepped into a patch of sparkly blood soaked carpet and bit out a vulgar curse. Now much more visibly alarmed, the enforcer flat out ran into the center of the room, moving far faster than most trolls would've given her credit for. Sid nervously licked his dry cracked lips before trying to call out to the tiny yellow female, but only succeeded in making a sad broken little moan.

Thankfully, the small sound was more than enough to attract Smidge's attention. Snapping her head toward the destroyed bookcase, the Rock Troll watched as her blue eyes widened as she took in his injuries and blood soaked clothing. Before the enforcer could take a step forward, her gaze flicked to Poppy's bruised and bloodied naked body cradled in the large male's arms, causing her to stagger backwards in horror.

“What the-?!”, the yellow Pop Troll gasped breathlessly, her voice unnaturally high. “Poppy? Sid, what the fuck happened here?!”

“He-he tried to kill me...”, Poppy whispered softly, almost too quietly to hear.

The muscular Rocker looked down at the pink female in horror before hugging back to his chest as hard as he dared. For a second it felt like he died and gone to hell, forced to relieve his most terrible nightmares for the rest of eternity. Brutal self accusations rang in his ears as the purple male felt his heart break into a million bloody pieces. If only he'd been smarter, faster, been a better protector, his girl wouldn't lay bleeding in his arms. Now she and their child's lives were in danger and it was all his fault.

“What was that, Poppy?”, Smidge asked hesitantly before turning her murderous gaze on Sid. “Sid! What the fuck did you do to her?!”

Poppy writhed in the Sid's hands, almost causing the large male to drop her as she rolled over enough to look at the other Pop Troll in the face. “HE TRIED TO KILL ME!”, she wailed hysterically as she clutched her mate's arm in a bruising grip. “BRANCH TRIED TO KILL ME!”

The enforcer looked up at her queen in disbelief, almost as if she couldn't understand her words. “What--? You can't be serious! I know Branch had been a real dick to you lately, but even he-”

“It's true, Smidge”, Sid affirmed quietly, his deep voice heavy with grief. “Branch sent some of his assholes to fuckin' gank me outside while he was busy beatin' on Poppy in here. Found the evil son of a bitch tryin' to choke her to death after I managed to fight 'em off.”

The yellow Pop Troll swallowed hard as she looked at the deep black bruises encircling her friend's neck before look back up at the guitarist. “But, WHY?!”

The purple male paused, trying to find the right words when Poppy beat him to it. “It's because of the baby.”, she sobbed brokenly as she frantically nuzzled the Rock Troll's muscular chest. “He found out that Sid and I are expecting a baby. He said he was going to h-hurt me until I l-lost her and then force me t-to have one of h-his.”

“Oh my fucking God”, the other female breathed, her tiny body quivering in horror. “He's a monster!”

Sid couldn't help flatting his large ears against his skull as he growled angrily at her words. “That's what we've been tryin' to fucking tell you goddamn people! That bastard almost killed Barb and her kids before Poppy saved them and he's been tryin' to hurt them ever since. Monsters like that don't stop on their own. They keep escaltin' and esclatin' until someone fucking ends up dead or someone with enough balls takes 'em down.”

“B-but I figured that if we showed him a better way to behave, he'd change!”, Smidge shot back. “It's the Pop Troll way!”

The guitarist shot the enforcer a withering look before taking a deep pain-filled breath in an attempt to reign in his rising anger. “Look, we don't have time for this. Branch left to whip your people into a murderous frenzy. Then there's gonna be a shit ton of Pop Trolls stormin' this place, lookin to kill me while that sick fuck takes advantage of the distraction and drags Poppy down into that underground hellhole of his. If that happens, everything she's gone through today will seem like a cuddle party in comparison.”

Being well read and well traveled, Sid had intimate knowledge of the more brutal and dangerous forms of riots and mobs, unlike the friendly kind his tribe loved to indulge in. With every added person, a mob's collective intelligence and reasoning capacity went down. While Poppy may have had a lot of supporters amongst her people, the sheer number of trolls who'd believe that he'd attack the love of his life would sway many to their side. Once they saw the blood soaked room and their queen's horribly beaten body, emotion would win over reason and that would be the end.

“Maybe...maybe I could hold them off?”, the enforcer suggested uncertainly. “Just until things calm down enough for me to explain what really happened.”

“All of 'em?”, Sid pressed, trying to make her see reason. “This ain't gonna be just one or two trolls, dude. That coward's gonna gather hundreds if not thousands in order to make sure he wins this time.”

The tiny yellow female's eyes widened at the sudden realization of just how bad things were going to get just as the sounds of angry shouting rose from the distance. Both trolls froze as they swiveled their ears in an attempt to make sense of the roar that was steadily growing louder with every passing second. Two sets of horrified eyes met one another, one violet-red, one blue as Poppy continued to sob disconsolately in the muscular Rocker's arms. 

“Oh, shit”, Smidge whispered, her normally confident voice sounding weak and scared. “We gotta get you guys out of here!”

“NO!”, Poppy shrieked as she frantically clawed at her chest and face, leaving long bloody tears in her delicate pink skin. “I can't leave my people! He'll kill them, he said he would! He's going to go after my dad, my friends, the little ones! I can't leave them to die like that! I can't! Please don't ask me to do that!”

Sid closed his eyes in despair at his beloved's words as he gently pulled the small pink female's hands away from her bleeding and shredded body. It always came down to this, that horrible catch-22 that always ended badly, despite how hard he'd worked to solve the problem. If he threw Poppy over his shoulder and made a run for it, the purple male knew that his disregard for her choice would damage their relationship irreparably. If he stood by and let her stay, Poppy would live a life where she constantly longed for the comforting embrace of death. The only way out he could find wasif stayed and held off Branch's loyalist's long enough for Smidge to get his girl to some place safe where she'd be protected before they finally succeeded in killing him.

The enforcer stood frozen in place, shocked and furious at this newest revelation. “That little shit”, she whispered softly to herself before turning her attention toward her queen. “Poppy, I know you're just trying to protect us, but you staying here isn't going to help! It's like what Sid said about escalation. If Branch see that all it takes to control you is threatening our lives, he's going to use that threat every chance he gets. He's going to demand more and more horrible things until you either have to tell him no or become just as bad as he is.”

“I'm staying”, his girl snapped with a deranged look on her face. “They're my people and my responsibility. How can I just abandon them when they need me the most?”

“Stop being stupid!”, the other female bellowed back. “If you'd fucking think about this rationally, you'd see that I'm right! You being here will cause more harm than good. Look, I'm your goddamn enforcer. Let me do my job. I'll go spread the word to our friends and allies about what a sick fuck Branch is and within the hour, the only trolls who'll be vulnerable to his bloodlust will be his own followers.

“Look here-”, Poppy began, only to have Smidge stalk forward and slap her hard across the face. The couple stared at the enforcer in surprised shock as the pink female slowly raised her hand to her reddening cheek. 

“That Is Enough! I don't see how you can still believe that giving yourself to Branch will make anything better. From what you've told me, that bastard wants to force you to miscarry and then rape you in his bunker until you catch again. I repeat, Branch wants to murder your baby so he can force you to carry own of his own. How in the hell is that supposed to help anyone!”

Poppy stared at the tiny yellow female in utter despair, her mouth moving wordlessly as her world continued to burn all around her. Glowering the enforcer gestured up at Sid and mercilessly pressed on.

“And what about your boyfriend? Do you really think Sid's just going to abandon you and go skipping off to safety? Look at him Poppy! That's the look of a troll who's made peace with the fact that he's about to die. Are you comfortable with Branch's assholes beating and torturing him until he bleeds out and dies? Is that what you really want? Because that's what you're going to get if you stay. A dead mate and a dead baby.”

Feeling her gaze upon him, the Rock Troll reluctantly met his girl's eyes as she stared at him in horror and despair. There was a war raging inside of her, with the desire to protect her people no matter the cost battling against Smidge's cold hard logic and her love for him and the unborn child growing within her. What hurt him the most was that no matter what Poppy chose, a small part of her would die and that was something the Rocker would have given everything he'd ever owned not to see.

“Sid...?”, she whispered, the name conveying a million different words and emotions.

Sid let out a long shuddering sigh and averted his eyes. “Poppy baby, I know I promised that I'd leave if you asked me to, but I just can't. Not this time. If...if that fucker gets his hands on you, he's gonna hurt you bad, real bad. I'm sorry but, I-I can't let that happen. I'd rather die first.”

“Did you even think about Queen Barb and Riff?”, Smidge continued, slowly turning the knife. “I don't have the manpower to get word to them right now and neither do you. They'll fly back here tomorrow, not knowing that you're underground being tortured and raped while whatever is left of Sid is being eaten by predators. What do you think Branch will do to her when she doesn't have you around to protect her anymore? To her boyfriend? Hell, even to the babies! I really don't see him being a loving father, not any more.

You say that they're your family, well then, fucking protect your family! That's six lives that are depending on you to make the right choice. Worry about them and leave our people's safety to me. Branch may think we're easy pickings, but he doesn't understand his people like he thinks he does. The resistance has things planned that are really going to fuck up his day.”

Closing his violet-red eyes, Sid held his breath as he waited for his girl's response, only to feel a gentle hand touch his cheek. The purple male jerked back in fear before he could stop himself, his own brutal attacks fresh and vivid in his mind. To his joy, Poppy watched him with a fierce protectiveness, all doubt and indecision completely gone from her eyes.

“You're right, Smidge”, she said firmly, her bright pink eyes never leaving her lover's face. “I'd thought staying meant that I was being a good queen, but what's the point if the ones I love the most die for it. That's both selfish and stupid. I know what I have to do now just like I know you'll do an outstanding job protecting our people in my stead after we leave.”

“Damn straight!”, the tiny yellow female cheered back. Glancing uneasily at the broken door as the screams and shouts from outside grew louder, the enforcer quickly gave each troll a firm hug. “Look, I gotta go and head off the mob before it gets here. I'll tell them that I saw the big guy carrying you off towards the marketplace on the other side of town. Get packed and ready to leave while I'm gone. I have a plan but I'm gonna have to talk to our allies first in order to get it to work.”

Poppy gave her enforcer a sweet smile as she wearily closed her eyes and slumping bonelessly in Sid's loving embrace. Smidge gently stroked the pink female's arm before bolting toward the door, only to pause on the front steps and look back. The tiny yellow female's gaze met the Rock Troll's equally grim one, both acknowledging just how long the odds were on the couple getting to safety before disappearing into the deepening night.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Sid carefully tucked Poppy into his shredded leather vest, attempting to shield the mostly naked female from the deepening chill, before staggering to his feet using the wall as support. He large male paused for a moment, giving his horribly wounded body time to adjust before painfully making his way through the wreckage of the main living area and into their bedroom.

As the large Rocker laid his pregnant female down on the large bed, he was alarmed to see that she seemed to have fallen asleep in his arms. Forcing down his rising alarm, the large Rocker quickly felt for a pulse and almost collapsed with relief when he felt her heart beating, nice and strong. Satisfied that Poppy was still alive and didn't seem to be in any immediate danger, he carefully wrapped her up in all the blankets on the bed and went to work preparing for their escape.

Sid grunted in pain as he knelt on the floor and pulled out the already packed leather bags he'd hidden under the bed, deeply grateful that Barb had forced the small family into preparing to leave earlier in the week. While he still didn't know what had set his spirited friend off, the spooked look in her pink eyes was more than enough to get the rest of them moving. Opening the packs, the purple male double checked the contents before tying them shut and placing them beside the twisted and broken door.

Grabbing a spare bag, the Rock Troll made his way around the large pod, shoving this and that into the leather container or his own hair-space as he went. Dismissing most of his books as easily replaceable, he made sure to grab the courtship ballads he and Riff had written along with other sentimental objects he knew they wouldn't want to leave behind. The muscular Rocker paused when he went to grab the acoustic and after a few seconds of painful deliberation, reluctantly left it on its stand.

With six bags packed with clothing, personal belongings, and official documents too sensitive to leave behind as well as a hair-space packed almost to its limits, there simply wasn't much room for anything else. When his family had planned their exodus, it had always been under the assumption that all four members would be there to help carry the load. The idle thought caused Sid to snort in amusement. After so many stressful nights they'd stayed up planning for ever eventuality, they were still taken by surprise.

As Sid leaned down to pick up the now bulging pack, a streak of searing agony shot through his side, almost causing the large male to stagger backwards and almost go down. Hissing through clenched teeth, the guitarist carefully pulled up his ruined blue sweater to see a nasty gash running up along his rib cage, the adrenaline in his system having masked the pain until then. The horrible wound was attempting to scab over but was hindered by its sheer size.

“Well, shit”, he muttered tiredly as he let the knitted fabric fall back into place.

Shaking his shaggy head ruefully, Sid dropped the filled bag with the others before slowly walking over to his friends' room to finish packing. Kicking the frost covered door open, he paused to admire the twinkling decorations before pulling handfuls of them free from the ceiling and stuffing them into his fluffy black hair. Next went in a stack of meticulously embroidered baby outfits and blankest followed by Barb's well-loved plush lava fox, a notebook containing all of her new songs, and Riff's favorite drumsticks. Having gotten what he came for, the muscular Rocker went to leave, but stopped by the elaborate nest and pulled free a long length of fabric, the deep red cloth practically drenched in Poppy and the Rock Queen's soothing scents. 

The screeching of twisted hinges caused Sid's hair to spike in distress, the harsh noise sounding all the more loud in the unnatural silence inside the pod and out. Moving as quickly as his wounds would allow, the guitarist burst out of the room in full protection mode. Snarling, he went to throw himself at the two silhouettes in the doorway when a deep voice stopped him short.

“Easy there Big Boy!”, Smidge called out in a soothing voice. “It's only me and Doctor Moonbloom. I promise that you and Poppy are safe. Well, as safe as you can be anyway.”

The muscular Rocker trembled with fear and reaction, still on full alert, as the two Pop Trolls cautiously entered the pod. Once he was certain they were who they said they were, he rushed past them to look outside and scan for threats before forcing closed what was left of the door. Turning back around, the Rock Troll was startled to find both females watching him with identical expressions of compassion and concern. The purple male found himself blushing under their scrutiny as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, unable to bring himself to break the awkward silence.

The doctor's hug caught Sid completely by surprise. Snapping his head back around, the large Rocker looked down in astonishment as the older female held him gently in her arms. The unexpected loving gesture made him smile as the cold and fear he'd felt for so long lowly started to melt away. Leaning over, the guitarist eagerly returned the hug, nuzzling her dark blue hair fondly in a show of camaraderie and friendship.

After a few blissful moments, Moonbloom sighed regretfully and pulled away. “I'm sorry to end this so abruptly Sid, but I've got a lot of work to do and not much time to do it in. It won't be long before Branch figures out that we've sent his ruffians out on a wild-goose chase and I need to be finished treating you two before he does. Now, as bad as you look, I'm afraid I'm going to have to examine Poppy first. Troll females don't miscarry easily, but when they do, it's almost always a life threatening emergency.

Sid gave a high pitched whimper of fear at the doctor's words, with the thought of losing his beloved Poppy causing him physical pain. “Why the hell are we still talkin' then? Go! She's sleepin' in our bedroom.”

Nodding grimly, Moonbloom ran with surprising speed toward the indicated room, closing the door behind her. With the danger contained for now, the Rock Troll suddenly felt more exhausted than he'd ever been in his entire life. Staggering over to the bloodstained couch, he allowed himself to collapse on the ruined piece of furniture and leaned back with a groan.

“You okay, man?”, Smidge prodded, her blue eyes filled with concern as she placed a hesitant hand on his large knee.

“Yeah, just tired”, he muttered as he wearily patted the tiny yellow appendage. “It's been one hell of a day. Wish I could get a do over.”

The enforcer seemed to shrink in on herself as she looked away in guilt and shame. “Me too, Sid”, she agreed heavily. “Me too.”

Giving herself a little shake, the yellow Pop Troll eyed the stack of leather bags heaped by the door before reaching up and nudging the guitarist who'd started to doze off. “It that the stuff you're taking with you?”

“That and what's in my hair-space”, Sid confirmed with a yawn. “I know Poppy would've liked to bring more, but I'm already getting a fucking headache from over-stuffing.”

Smidge gave a little chuckle as she walked over and started shoving the luggage into her aqua colored hair. “That's Poppy for you. Every knickknack has sentimental value, every scrapbook a treasure and more clothing than half the village owns combined thanks to all the gifts she used to get. Luckily for you, I can fit three grown trolls worth of stuff in my hair! Well, maybe not ones your size, but then, you're fucking huge!”

Once everything had been stowed away, the two friends sat side by side on the couch in the darkness, with the tiny female keeping watch while the large Rock Troll slept. Time seemed to simultaneously pass both excruciatingly slowly and incredibly fast as the sounds of anger and violence rose and fell outside. Despite his exhaustion, Sid still managed to jerk himself awake when the doctor quietly opened the bedroom door. Blinking blearily at the older female, he found himself holding his breath while he waited for her verdict.

“It's okay Sid, everything's going to be just fine”, Moonbloom assured him, mercifully coming straight to the point. “While Poppy was able to protect her fetus from harm, Branch still managed to harm her rather severely. She has a broken arm which I've splinted, bruised ribs, and an ankle that I'm hoping is just sprained. Her neck was badly bruised, but she seems to be able to breath just fine, which is quite frankly, a miracle. Now, I'm fairly certain there wasn't any internal damage done, but I want the doctors onboard the Mercy to give her a full work up when you get there.”

The guitarist nodded vaguely in the doctor's direction, his body and mid numb as he struggled to process the overload of information. Poppy and the baby were okay. They were okay, but she was still hurt. Did that mean he could still lose her? How could he have been so stupid to fall for such an obvious trap?! How could he let down-?

A gentle tug on his arm made the large Rocker look up to see a very concerned looking Smidge staring back at him. “Come on Big Boy, we can't lose you now”, the yellow female murmured softly as she easily pulled him to his feet. “I know you've been through a lot, but you gotta keep it together for both of your sakes!”

“I know, I know”, Sid mumbled dishearteningly. “It's just that... I wish I could've done more for her, that's all.”

“Young man, you have nothing to be ashamed of”, Moonbloom scolded in a firm but kind tone of voice. “Despite looking like death warmed over, you were still willing to defend Poppy with your life when we came over. You're a good mate and a fantastic protector. Focusing too much on 'what ifs' have been the downfall of many good trolls, and I won't see that happen to you. It's much more productive to focus on what you've done, what you can do better, and what you can still do.”

Still feeling more than a little disjointed, Sid nodded and followed the doctor obediently as she led him by the hand into the bedroom and gently closed the door. The curtains had been drawn shut, shrouding most of the large room in darkness with only a single small glow-stone providing any light. Despite the gloom, the large Rocker had little trouble making out Poppy's small from curled under the covers due to the exceptional night vision all his kind possessed.

Despite having just been examined by the doctor, Poppy looked to be fast asleep, her breathing shallow and pained. The scraps of felt that were all that remained of her thick winter dress had been removed, exposing horrible dark bruises and bandages that covered most of her slender body that he could see. The pink female's broken arm had been splinted and then bandaged to her chest in an effort to keep everything aligned until it could be properly set, the blindingly white color of the gauze providing a harsh contrast against her lovely pink fur.

Seeing his beloved so injured and broken causes ripples of despair to rip through the guitarist's body, hurting far worse than any of his multiple knife wounds had. Giving a tortured sob, Sid pulled free from the doctor's gentle grip and hobbled over to her still form. Falling to his knees by the side of the bed, the purple male gently reached over and took Poppy's bandaged hand and held it against his cheek as tears rolled down his handsome face.

“I've given her something for the pain and to help her sleep”, Moonbloom said quietly from a respectful distance away. “She's been though more trauma today than most Pop Trolls will during their entire lives. She's going to need to process what's happened and I'm afraid now's not that time.

As much as I hated to ask, I got permission Poppy's permission to take photographs of her wounds before I put her under. With both of you gone, it would've just been my word against his without them.   
But those bruises on her...on her thighs and neck were obviously caused by a troll with smaller hands than yours and pictures don't lie. 

With your permission, I'd like to take some of you as well. It's obvious that you willingly risked your life to protect our queen and the village needs to be forced to see that. I know it's a lot to ask, but Branch is going to try and use you as a scapegoat and this is the best way to expose him for the manipulative lying bastard that he is. If we can take away his supporters, we can take away his power, and hopefully your family will finally be safe.”

Sid hesitated, his violet-red eyes fixated on the beautiful pink female before jerkily nodding his head. “What ever you have to do to stop the fucker.”, he rasped back. 

The blue Pop Troll stood silently for a moment before walking forward and giving the muscular male another heartfelt hug. “If you hadn't stopped Branch when you did...well, things would have been worse, much worse. You have both my thanks and my profound gratitude. I love that girl like she was my own flesh and blood. I can't imagine wanting to live in a world without her in it.”

Sid choked out a laugh and nodded wordlessly as the older female's words warmed him, heart and soul. After allowing himself another minute or two to grieve, the guitarist staggered clumsily to his feet and at the doctor's direction, stripped completely nude. Moonbloom took her time photographing every bruise, every cut from multiple angles in order to be sure that none of the evidence of the brutal attacks was lost.

To his surprise, Branch had managed to severely injure him more than a dozen times, four of which required suturing due to size and bleeding. While Sid had known he'd taken some hits during the fight, the sheer amount of adrenaline and sheer desperation he'd felt kept him from realizing just how many. Luckily, due to his subspecies' naturally dense bone structure and his innate fighting ability, the guitarist had been spared worse injury, with deep bruising and a slight concussion caused by a knife hilt to the temple making up the rest of his wounds.

Thanks to Moonbloom's outstanding skills as a doctor, the Rock Troll's wounds were stitched up in record time, with only posing any trouble. The survivalist had somehow managed to slash the purple male along his inner thigh, cutting deeply into the muscle just inches from the femoral artery and coming uncomfortable close to his large testicles. Sid's blushed a deep purple as the Pop Troll sewed muscle and skin back together while she happily related the tale of how she met his friend Pantera during the war and their ensuing whirlwind romance. 

Once the surgery was over, the older female handed the muscular Rocker hot wet towels from her hair, a feat that Sid couldn't help but but marvel at. Wiping away as much dirt and grime from his body as he could, the purple male carefully slid off the bloodstained sheets and padded over to the wardrobe to get dressed While it would have been the best for both of them to stay in bed and recover, it was far too dangerous to delay their departure any longer than necessary.

Being mostly nocturnal and living in a land filled with horrific dangers made choosing the proper clothing for a night escape all the more easier. Sid knew that even during a new moon with clouds filling the sky, it was never truly pitch black outside. Starlight, lanterns, lava, and glow-stones created enough illumination to push back the gloom, if only a little. A figure dressed in black would stand out sharply against the gray shadows, attracting unwanted attention. The key was to wear darker colors that had just enough bulk to break up a troll's outline.

Regretfully shoving his black leathers to the side along with anything containing shiny or jangly bits, the large Rocker pulled out his dark gray overcoat, the leather mottled a thousands different shades due to age and wear. Next he chose a dark blue shirt and hoodie combo that were emblazoned with the words, 'Metal? Fuck, Yeah!', as well as a pair of faded black jeans. The purple male paused and after some thought, pulled Poppy's bright pink sparkly housecoat from its hanger, knowing just how much his girl loved the brilliantly colored garment.

Sid stopped by the dresser and slipped on a pair of boxers in deference to the doctor before snagging a pair of lacy panties and returning to his girlfriend on the bed. Moonbloom snorted in amusement at the rainbow print before turning around in order to give the couple some privacy while they got dressed. Despite knowing just how drugged the small pink female was, the fact that she didn't even stir when he bumped her broken arm while bundling her back into the warm blankets made the muscular Rocker tug at the Pop Troll's white lab coat in barely contained panic.

“It's okay, Sid”, Moonbloom murmured gently as she patted his large hand. “I promise, she's only sleeping. As much as I hated to sedate her, after seeing her pain and distress, I decided that the benefits outweighed the risks. The last thing either of you needs for Branch's goons to catch you because she wasn't able to stay silent when the need arose. Unfortunately that means you're going to have to find a way to securely carry her while still leaving you a way to defend yourself.

“Way ahead of you”, Sid grinned wearily as he pulled the bolt of fabric he'd taken from Barb's nest from his fluffy black mane. “We used things like this all the time when Barb or one of the others were too fucking drunk to walk or was exhausted after preforming at a gig. If I can carry Riff's surprisingly heavy ass for over two miles back to our beetle bus, I don't think I'll have a problem carryin' Poppy.”

Knotting the ends of the dark red cloth together and placing it around his body like a sash, the Rock Troll was able to crate a simple sling, much like those worn by parents who's Trollings wouldn't stay put in their hair. The purple male gave it a firm tug to make sure it was secure before bending over and picking up Poppy's bruised and battered body, blankets and all. Being mindful of her injuries, Sid then carefully slid her inside the supple fabric, adjusting the sling as he went until his beloved was snuggled safely inside. With a few extra folds, the pink female's sleeping form was completely hidden from view, save for an opening next to his chest so she'd be able to breathe.

A gentle knock at the door caused Sid to give a warning growl as he quickly slipped into his leather overcoat and tugged the opening shut in order to conceal the precious cargo sleeping inside. Stalking forward, he was just about to rip the door from its hinges when Moonbloom placed a gently hand on his back. Obeying her unspoken plea, the muscular Rocker begrudgingly stood down but remained on high alert as the older troll quietly opened the door in his stead.

“Are you guys done yet?”, Smidge whispered quietly, the nervousness in her voice setting the guitarist on edge. “I hate to rush everyone, but I've just got word from a reliable source that our boy's figured out that his search parties have been going around in circles. We need to get you two to the stables and fast!”

Sid felt his blood run cold at the enforcer's words. He was in no condition to fight, especially not while Poppy was so vulnerable. Quickly going through his mental checklist to be sure he hadn't forgotten anything, the purple male turned to leave when something suddenly occurred to him.

“What about you, Doc?”, he asked in concern. “I don't wanna leave you here if that fucking psycho's gonna hurt you for helpin' us.”

Moonbloom gave Sid a dazzling smile, one so full of love and affection that it made the purple male blush and look away. “Don't worry about me, sweetheart, I'll be fine. I've already got plans in motion. As soon as I present my official medical report and photographic evidence to the village, I'm going to fly with Rhapsody and a few others to the Kingdom of Hard Rock and seek asylum. We've stayed this long was to help the resistance in keeping you all safe. After you're gone, there's no real reason to stay and every reason to leave.”

The guitarist looked at the doctor in surprise before bursting out into loud laughter. “Damn! Just when I thought I had you all figured out! Well as part of the royal family, I officially extend an invitation to you and all Pop Trolls who want to live with us. We welcome just about anyone as long as they leave all the hate and bullshit behind.”

Quickly saying his goodbyes, Sid followed Smidge out into the frigid night, leaving the cunning doctor to complete the rest of her plan. Although the moon was full, dark heavy snow clouds blotted out most of the light, making the shadows below shiver and dance with their moved across the sky. The glow-stones used to light the pathways through the village let out a sickly green glow, a far cry from the rich illumination the large Rock Troll was used it. It almost felt to him as if they too had been infected with the sickening hate and blood-lust that now filled the villager's hearts. Half-seen shapes seemed to whisper and writhe in the shadows as distant screams echoed off the empty and desolate pods hanging all around them like rotted fruit.

Sid grit his teeth, hastily tying his coat shut as the bitingly cold winds cut strait through his clothing and down into his bones. Due to the sheer amount of active volcanoes in their kingdom, Rock Trolls rarely experienced such cold extremes to the point where they were biologically ill equipped to handle them. During rare times of freezing weather, his kind went into a sort of torpor, barely able to move or think until they either died from exposure or were rescued and brought to sources of warmth.

Knowing the cost of staying still, the muscular Rock forced himself to follow behind Smidge as she wove on and off various pathways, intent on avoiding dangers his dulled senses couldn't detect. The cold made his injuries ache all the more despite the load of painkillers he'd ingested earlier, making him stumble and almost fall more than once. Only the knowledge of what he had to lose kept the purple male on his feet as the heavy snow began falling all around them.

The enforcer suddenly froze in her tracks, causing Sid to almost plow right into the tiny female. Rubbing the frost from his eyelids, the guitarist peered into the gloom and sucked in a horrified breath. A group of three armed Pop Trolls stood between them and the stables, the large building's outlines almost completely obscured by the worsening storm. While he didn't recognize the two males who's armbands marked them as low rank in Branch's little club, the Rock Troll knew their leader all too well.

Tibal was a large well-built male who was almost as sadistic and cruel as his beloved leader. The fucker loved to use Barb as hard as he was allowed, causing his beloved friend untold anguish and pain. Sid and Riff had been beaten unconscious on multiple occasions when he'd gone to intercede and protect the pregnant female. Poppy had tried more than a dozen times to banish the sick bastard from the village, only for the Council to pardon him just as often on Branch's behalf. 

“Halt”, Tibal shouted authoritatively, his cruel tone not leaving any doubt as to what would happen if he wasn't obeyed. 

Striding confidently through the rapidly forming snowdrifts, the orange male didn't seem to be affected by the cold, unlike his suffering underlings behind him. Bending low, he shoved his smug face into Smidge's personal space and laughed. 

“Well, well, well. If it isn't the Queen's Enforcer! Finally decided to get off your lazy ass and help us common folk with the search, did we?”

“You need all the help you can get, you dumb sick fuck”, the tiny yellow female spat, her aqua eyes practically sending out sparks from the intensity of her fury. “We all know the only reason you're still alive is because you suck Branch's cock well enough to make him believe that you're worth saving!”

The large Pop Troll blinked his yellow eyes in surprise, obviously expecting a very different response. Suddenly he doubled over laughing, the sound caustic and grating, as slapped his thigh in mirth. “Good God, Smidge! Why don't you tell me how you really feel!”

Still giggling, Tibal looked up and caught sight of Sid, the snow on his overcoat making him stand out from the shadows in which he hid. “And who's this?”, he asked merrily, shielding his eyes in order to better see in the dense flurries. “Are actually back on speaking terms with Biggie, or is that...Smidge! Did you actually managed to capture the beast that fucked our poor incredibly stupid whore of a queen? I really hope he's left her alive somewhere. I've already been granted permission to plow the cunt just as soon as the boss knocks her back up again.

Sid quivered in rage as he went to throw himself at the disgusting pig, only to have Smidge beat him to it. Charging forward with a guttural cry, the tiny yellow female used her hair to launch herself into the air and slam feet first into the orange male's throat. Tibal went down with a disturbing wet sound, allowing his attacker to roll back to her feet and land a massive uppercut to the chin, laying him out cold. With the bastard's threat neutralized, the Rocker went for the other two guards, only to find one beating the living shit out of the other. 

“THIS IS FOR MY DAUGHTER, YOU GODDAMNED PIECE OF SHIT!”, the red male screamed at the top of his lungs in time with his punches. “She-she loved you! How could you just...?! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO HER?!”

The Rock Troll stood there stunned, completely unprepared for the show of raw emotion. While he knew that the domestic abuse Poppy had suffered was condoned by an unsettling number of Pop Trolls, the purple male hadn't realized just how bad the problem was. Snuggling his beloved closer to his chest, he watched as Smidge pulled the grieving father away from the still body and pull him into a tight hug.

“I'm happy that you got some justice for Rose, Chrys, but we need to keep moving”, she told the older male firmly. “Branch's goons are still out there searching and I need to get Sid and Poppy out of here.”

“You mean, they're safe?”, Chrys gasped in relief, only now becoming aware of the large Rocker's presence. “Thank the God of Pop! When the others started bragging about how that bastard b-beat our sw-sweet q-queen.... I-I just assumed that she'd... I didn't know what to do and I couldn't find my contact with the loyalists and-!”

Deeply moved, Sid laid his hand on the other male's small shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “It's okay, man. Poppy's hurt, but she and the baby are gonna be just fine. I managed to fight the bastard off, but he's gonna keep tryin' until I get her to safety. I promise on my honor as a Rock Troll, that I'll take good care of 'em both.”

The male Pop Troll broke out into a trembling smile before it morphed into a look of deep love and affection when he noticed the heavy sling under the guitarist's coat. “Thank you”, he breathed reverently, his voice hitching from the intensity of his emotions. “Thank you for saving her. If there's anything you need, anything at all, just let me know and I'll find a way to make it happen.”

Sid mentally cursed when he felt himself blushing yet again at Chrys' unabashed hero worship, unsure of what to say or do. After giving Smidge a look of pure desperation, the tiny yellow female smiled fondly at the heartwarming scene before mercifully intervening.

“Chrys, Once Aconite turns up missing during roll call, someone's going to put two and two together and you don't wanna be here for that. Go home and get your wife and grandson ready to leave. I'll send someone over to get you out just as soon as I get these two up in the air.

“But what about...?”, the older Pop Troll protested weakly, gesturing towards his daughter's killer. “Shouldn't I-”

“Go”, Smidge repeated firmly as she gave the red male a gentle shove. “Go save what's worth saving. I'll take things from here.

Chrys gave her a terse nod and each of them a hug before turning and running towards the village. The two friends silently watched him disappear into the night before a groan from Tibal made them look over at the two fallen cultists that were swiftly being buried under the heavy snow. Sighing in annoyance, the enforcer trudged over and gave the muscular orange male a vicious kick to the head, knocking him unconscious once again.

“You need to go before both of you freeze”, Smidge told Sid firmly as she knelt by Aconite and felt for a pulse. “The guys working the stables tonight are with the loyalists, so you shouldn't have any problems. Just follow the path a few more yards and knock on the side door five times. When they let you in, tell them to send someone to get your things by the front gate. Once you're all saddled up and ready to go, fly as fast as you can toward the Funk Trolls' ship and don't look back.

“You're not comin'”, the Rock Troll drawled flatly, making it more a statement of fact rather than a question.

“Nah”, the enforcer affirmed with a a shake of her aqua haired head. “But you don't need to worry about me. I've survived worse storms than this little blizzard. As much as I'd love to leave Tibal out here to die, I can't let that happen. He's too well connected for that not to come back and bite us on the ass.”

“What about the other one?”, he couldn't help but ask. 

Smidge paused before sliding a wickedly sharp knife from out of an interior pocket of her dark gray winter coat. “I'm going to do my job”, she said simply.

Dropping to his knees in the deep snow, Sid gathered the tiny yellow female in his arms and gave her a heartfelt hug. “Thanks Smidge”, he murmured gruffly. “I don't know what we'd have fuckin' done without you. You're a goddamned hero and I'm gonna make sure everyone in the Kingdom of Hard Rock hears about it.”

“You too, Big Boy”, the enforcer sniffed as she blinked back the tears. “You saved my best friend's life. I'm always gonna be in your debt for that. Now get going before I start crying like a baby!”

Giving a teary laugh of his own, Sid gave Smidge one last nuzzle before struggling back to his feet. Wrapping the thick overcoat more securely around himself and his precious burden, the purple male trudged through the thick snow, fighting the harsh wind every step of the way. A deep shrill cry of anguish echoed through the night just as he reached the dimly lit stable door. Shivering hard, the Rock Troll paid it no mind as he entered the building that not only offered warmth and safety, but a new beginning as well.

OOOO(Poppy)

She could hear him singing, his deep rich voice piercing the blanket of pain and fear that wracked her body and soul. She didn't know where she was or what was happening, but she found that she didn't care. His heart throbbed next to her ear, the steady strong beats bringing her the deepest sense of peace and contentedness that she'd ever known.

Voices spoke all around her, saying things that she didn't care enough about to try and understand. Nothing mattered except that he was there with her and the tiny flutter of life growing within her. She could feel him pick her up out of her warm safe cocoon, a few moments of intense cold, before she was back inside. Things were happening, but everything was okay as long as they were with her.

“Okay Sweetstuff, we're about to take off”, she heard him croon while he nuzzled her face with his velvety soft nose. “I'm gonna need you to stay as still as you can 'til we get outta this fucking snowstorm. We'll be back with Barb an' Riff before you know it.”

None of his words made any sense except for the names. Feelings of love, comfort, and longing surged through her at the thought of being reunited with the rest of her family. Sighing in bliss, she snuggled against her beloved's chest before falling into a deeper dreamless sleep. Soon everything would be perfect.

OOOO

To be continued in the next chapter....


End file.
